ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– The young Eastern University men's soccer squad came into today's home test against the visiting Golden Wolves of Alvernia University (1-4-2) looking to snap a three-game losing streak. While the Eagles did that, they were unable to create enough chances to convert a game-winner and settled for a 1-1 tie.

How It Happened:
The Eagles (2-3-1) jumped to an early lead on a third-minute goal from Reginald Lloyd. Matt Mitchell created the chance with a strong run out of the midfield. He slipped a ball into wide space on the left for Derek Buhrman. The freshman forward settled the ball and found Lloyd in a pocket in front of the goal. Lloyd's right-footed shot slid inside the left upright for the early lead.

While the first goal came against the run of play, the Eagles began to grab more and more possession, but the visitors still showed attacking promise on restarts and in the counter. The Wolves found their goal after an Eastern turnover in the midfield. With the Eagles leaning forward, the transition moment put Alvernia in a numbers-up situation going to goal. Noah Wright slipped a pass to Ryan Kuster and he curled a ball inside the left post to level the game with 21 minutes left in the first half.

The Eagles struggled through a second half without putting a shot on frame. Anthony Hitchcock, on the other hand, had plenty to do in the Eastern goal. He turned away seven shots in the half and finished the match with 12 stops.

The first overtime went through nearly without incident until a pair of Eastern fouls gave the Golden Wolves a chance on a free kick just outside the box. With the clock stopped, the guests had time to set up a play for the final three seconds. Ammit Bhogal hit an on-target shot over the Eastern wall, but Hitchcock was in position to make the clean grab.

The Eagles came out for the second overtime with a different energy. Sam Sutherland earned the edge on the left side and whipped a ball into scoring area. An Alvernia defender beat Buhrman to the ball and cleared it from danger.

Soon after that initial opportunity, the Eagles had a restart from 40 yards out. Buhrman got on top of Mitchell's serve and drilled a header to the lower right corner, Alvernia keeper Luca Grippi parried the ball out for a corner kick. Julio Ardon hit a shot that beat Grippi off the corner, but an Alvernia defender saved his shot off the goal line.

The Eagles served three different balls into the box in the 114th minute, but no Eastern players was able to get a finishing touch. The Eagles earned several more restarts and had a great chance in the final seconds. After Mitchell's serve was blocked, the ball bounced out to Jeremy Barnes-Bey on the right side. The rookie defender hit a one-time serve that curled behind the Alvernia back row. Buhrman beat his mark to the ball and pushed the ball across the goal line as the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.

Coach Payne Says:
"We had been on a trend where we had been playing better every game. With the exception of a few minutes in the second overtime, we did not play better today. We will struggle to get a win in our next seven games if we play like that. We are going to need to bring a better effort and commitment to doing the little things right every time on Wednesday."

Up Next:
The road does not get easier for the Eagles. They will host Cabrini University in a rivalry game on Wednesday at 4:00 pm and then will travel to Lycoming to take on a very strong Warrior squad.