Men’s Soccer Battles Wesleyan to 1-1 Double Overtime Draw
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's soccer team rallied from a goal down in the final minutes of regulation to tie the score and earn a 1-1 draw against Wesleyan University in non-conference action this afternoon at Maple Street Field.
With the draw the Rams are now 1-3-2 on the season and the Cardinals, who are ranked 6th this week in New England in the NSCAA poll, are now 3-1-1 on the year.
The Cardinals controlled play in the first half outshooting the Rams 8-2, but only held a 1-0 advantage. Freshman Brandon Sousa (Waterbury, Conn.) had the ball in the box and juked a Ram defender to create space. Sousa threaded a shot inside the far post for his first goal of the season in the 27th minute.
Wesleyan would maintain the slim one goal advantage until the closing minutes of regulation. Framingham State senior forward Jepherson Cardoso (Framingham, Mass.) took possession at midfield and maneuvered through and around the Cardinal defense. From the edge of the box, Cardoso laid down a shot that eluded the diving goalkeeper and found the back of the net tying the score with just 3:58 left on the clock.
In the first overtime, Wesleyan had a chance for the game winner just over three minutes in. The Cardinals had a direct kick that was sent into the box and bounced around in front of the goal. They were able to get three shots off, but all three were saved and the Rams were able to clear the ball out of the box.
Not long after, senior forward Evan Hazelett (Amherst, Mass.) fired a shot on goal for Wesleyan that got behind the Ram goalkeeper, but Ram senior back Will Menter (Haverhill, Mass.) was able to deflect the ball away before it could cross the goal line.
The Rams had their best chance to break the tie with four minutes left in the first overtime on junior Romulo Carvalho's (Milford, Mass.) shot from just outside the box, but Cardinal goalkeeper Adam Purdy (Montclair, NJ) was able to make the save.
The Rams had the first scoring chance of the second overtime just under a minute onto the frame. Sophomore Bryan DaSilva (Milford, Mass.) took a direct kick from 25 yards out, but his bid hooked left of the goal.
After that, the Cardinals had three chances for the game winner, but could not connect on any. With just over six minutes left, Sousa sent a corner into the box but freshman Chris Kafina's (Lincoln, Mass.) header hit the post.
A minute later, Hazelett created space for himself in the box, but his shot sailed just over the cross bar. The Cardinals final chance came with three minutes remaining on a direct kick by Sousa, but Ram goalkeeper Sam Yoder (Southbridge, Mass.) was able to make the save and preserve the draw.
The Cardinals outshot the Rams 23-11 in the game and held a slim 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Yoder finished the game with 11 saves for the Rams, while Purdy made five.
The Rams return to action on Saturday afternoon with a conference game at Salem State at 1 p.m., while the Cardinals travel to Williams College on Saturday for a NESCAC tilt beginning at 11:30 a.m.