ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- In its first outing of the year, Eastern University Men's Soccer unveiled a line-up with five first year players in the starting eleven. Two of those players scored in their collegiate debuts as the Eagles rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 3-3 home tie with an experienced Alvernia University squad.

A thirty-five minute delay for lightning shortly after half pushed the conclusion of the game back into dusk. Despite the wet conditions, neither team was able to grab the game-winner in the gloaming. The game, however, did not lack for drama.

Alvernia grabbed the lead in the 8th minute on a broken play. A misplayed clear put sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Nichols in between ideas, and in the hesitation, the ball fell to Alvernia sophomore Alex Martyn. Martyn pushed the ball across the line to give the Crusaders the early edge. Alvernia doubled the lead 15 minutes later when Kyle Martyn banged home a beautiful strike off the upright.

The Eastern depth began to take its toll as the half progressed and Brandon Beaumont tucked home a Hunter Rosenberg pass in the 33rd minute to lift the Eastern spirits going into the break.

With a steady rain falling, the Eagles came out of the intermission firing.The equalizer, however, did not come before the lightning. The two teams returned to the locker rooms for over thirty minutes as the lightning passed and the lightning protocols were observed. Moments after the return to play, the Crusaders grabbed a goal against the run of play as Josh Wollaston knocked in a rebound to restore a two-goal edge.

Less than two minutes later Eric Giovagnoli stripped an Alvernia defender of the ball and earned the edge on the left side. After bringing the Alvernia goalkeeper to the near post, the first-year forward slid a ball across the face of the goal for Josh Cirocco. Cirocco's touch was true, and the Eagles were again back in the game.

"We started slowly, " Head Coach Mark Wagner stated, "but I was pleased with the way we came back twice. Gio's play was huge, and Beaumont's goal in the first half was really big for us as well. We are a young team, and we looked it at times, but it was good to see us battle back."

After numerous chances went begging, Giovagnoli finally leveled the match in the 85th minute with another hustle play. He again stripped an Alvernia defender of the ball. He was able to poke a final ball past the charging Alvernia goalkeeper from just outside the box. The Eagles had several chances at the game-winner in the last five minutes and in overtime, but in the end had to settle for the draw.

"I liked our depth," Wagner concluded, " and I think that this group will continue to get better."

The Eagles are back in action Friday at 3pm when they host NYU-Poly in the first game of the Eastern/Cabrini Classic.