ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Soccer saw its run of unbeaten matches stretch to four, but this afternoon's 3-3 home draw with Albright College Lions was disappointing result for a home side pushing for a spot in the post-season The Eagles (5-7-5, 2-2-2) led by three in the 76th minute before the guests found their way back to earn the draw.
The Eagles held the three-goal edge for nearly as little time as is possible to hold a particular lead.
Osmond Chan put away a pass from
Justin Shaffer to put the Eagles up 3-0 with 15:04 on the clock. Eastern's third goal of the half came off an aggressive counter where Shaffer momentarily lost a ball and instantly won in back to set up Chan for his first of the year.
As the goal was bing announced, the Lions (7-8-2, 0-4-2) pushed the ball into the Eastern half. Christian Bowles shot through an Eastern screen and found the lower corner to give the guests a little momentum. Bowles now has 14 goals of the year.
Even with the lead back to two goals, it looked as though the Eagles were in good shape to manage the game. The Lions earned a penalty kick on a missed tacke at the top of the box.
Gabe Copley made the save on the initial shot, but Vincent Simmons followed his shot and tapped in the rebound to close the gap further.
The Eagles brought subs on to stop the momentum, but the Lions defended a free kick and threw numbers forward for a long throw. The Lions won the initial header and blocked several clearing attempts back into the scoring area. Daniel Lowman pushed the ball through a mass of Eastern defenders to tie the match.
The Eagles, who scored in the 51st minute on an
Evan Cope strike from
Zach Sievert and then on a Sievert penalty just before the hour mark, threw numbers at goal to try to retake the lead, but they were unable to find a decider and the match ended in a disappointing draw.
The Eagles missed chances in both halves. They had a 17-5 edge in first half shots, and a 15-6 advantage in second-half shots along with a 7-2 edge in corners. Mike Lawry made 13 saves for the visitors.
Though the result is disappointing, it only has the effect of eliminating a back door into the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. With Alvernia winning at Hood and Widener dropping a 3-0 home result to Messiah, the Eagles trail Alvernia by one point and Widener by two. Even if Eastern and Widener had been tied going into Saturday's contest, the Pride would have had the edge by virtue of their draw against York. Eastern would have needed to beat the Pride.
The Eastern scenario is very straight-forward. They can reach the tournament with a win over Widener or with a tie and an Alvernia loss. Alvernia is home against Stevenson. With the Alvernia match kicking off an hour after the Eastern match will end, the Eagles will believe their only path is to beat Widener on the Pride's senior day. That match will start at 1:00 PM.
