Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's soccer team battled perennial powerhouse Messiah College to a 2-2 tie in a non-conference match-up that featured a thrilling finish Wednesday afternoon at Clark Field.
The two sides combined for just one goal over the opening 82 minutes before putting together a three-goal flurry over a 2:28 span late in the match.
The Bullets (2-1-1) trailed 1-0 before rallying to take the lead on a pair of goals less than two minutes apart. However, the Falcons (3-0-2) answered with the equalizer just 33 seconds later, and neither team could find the net during the two 10-minute overtime periods.
Seniors
Henry Smith (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and
KJ DePontes (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) each scored for the Orange and Blue while junior
Max Karen (Huntington, N.Y./Elwood-John Glenn) finished with two saves for the Bullets. Connor Bell made five stops for Messiah.
Gettysburg tied the Falcons for the second year in a row and posted their highest scoring output versus Messiah since 2009.
The Bullets, ranked No. 7 in the first Division III Mid-Atlantic region poll of the season, finished with advantages in both shots (18-13) and corners (8-7) versus the Falcons, who entered the day ranked fifth regionally.
Karen made a big save to keep Messiah off the scoreboard early, jumping high to swat away a blast inside the box from Robby Johnson in the 40th minute.
Bell answered with a leaping stop of his own less than two minutes into the second half following a Gettysburg corner. Smith sent a perfect pass into the box where senior defender
Mark Yearick (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) drilled a header toward the net, where Bell left the ground to come up with the ball.
Karen made another diving stop on a fast-break shot in the 61st minute, with Yearick clearing away the ball away as it rolled towards the net.
The visitors finally broke through in the 68th minute after receiving a direct kick. Jacob Bender hooked a shot over the wall and inside the left post to put the Falcons up 1-0.
Smith ignited Gettysburg's rally with 7:35 left, smashing home a free kick of his own into the left side the net to pull his team even. Then less than two minutes later, the Bullets found themselves with numbers on a breakaway and junior
Patrick Santini (Cos Cob, Conn./Greenwich) charging hard up the middle. Santini advanced into the box before dishing a short pass to DePontes on the left, and the senior one-timed the shot inside the right post to hand Gettysburg a 2-1 lead with 5:40 showing.
Messiah was quick to answer, however. Colby Thomas intercepted a Gettysburg clear before drilling a shot across the goal and past a diving keeper to make it 2-2 with 5:07 to go.
The Bullets threatened in the first overtime, outshooting Messiah 4-0 and gaining their third corner of the period in the final minute. However, Santini had another header sail just wide with 49 ticks showing.
The two sides combined for just three shots and one corner in the second OT.
Gettysburg plays its Centennial Conference opener on Saturday, when it visits Ursinus College at noon.
