Eastern University Men's Soccer bested local rival Cabrini College in a dramatic 1-0 overtime contest. The Eagles celebrated Phil Mantua's heroic finish after nearly 95 minutes of back and forth action. Mantua, a senior midfielder, made a sprint into the center of the box with five minutes left in the first overtime. Once there, he met a heavy spinning ball from teammate Caleb MacMain. Mantua beat Cabrini's keeper to the ball and his glancing header settled into the back of the net for the Eagles' third win of the year.
Many different factors added to the intensity and drama of the game. This was Mantua's first game after straining his quadricep in pre-season. Mantua's return lifted the level of play early for the Eagles. In addition, the rivalry with Cabrini is always one that students make it a point to see. The crowd on the hill reflected this, and the emotion from the crowd carried onto the field. Three different Cabrini players saw yellow cards, and the game moved to right to the edge on several occasions in the second half. As minutes passed and neither team scored in regulation, the tension of the day increased. The end couldn't have been sweeter.
"I was really happy for Phil to come back from a significant injury and play so well," said Head Coach Mark Wagner, "It was special for him to hit the game-winner." The team was equally excited for Mantua, player after player came up to their senior captain to congratulate him following his return to action.
The coaches especially wanted to start the game well. After a string of slow starts, the team proved they could do it. "We were happy with the play in the first half," said Wagner. "I thought we moved the ball well and really controlled the momentum of the game. For the first time all season, we fell flat in the second half."
Eastern dominated the majority of play in the first half. They drew fouls in their offensive third and fired numerous shots from range. The best opportunity of the half was in the 14th minute when senior centerback Kyle Hurst served a ball from the left side of the field off a restart to Mantua's head. Mantua's flick was foreshadowing his game-winning goal, but this one pinged against the far post, popping back out into play. "I thought I had that one in the first half," said Mantua.
The continuous possession was missing in the second half for the Eagles. The Cavaliers had the most dangerous opportunities of the game. The best came in the 62nd minute. Steve Reynolds found himself at the penalty mark with a cross from the right side. He connected well, but his volley went straight into the hands of Eastern's John Crowder. Crowder registered six saves in the match.
Two tired teams ended regulation, but Eastern came out in the first overtime just like they did in the first half. The ball was back in Eagle control and there was an evident momentum leading up to Mantua's header. "On the goal, I just wanted to beat the keeper to the ball. I was making a near post run and luckily the ball came to my head at the right moment," said Mantua, "It feels good to beat Cabrini; it's always a good game."
Eastern returns to the pitch on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Gettysburg College.
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