PHILADELPHIA – In a testy rivalry matchup, the Saint Joseph's men's soccer team battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw against Villanova on Tuesday night at Sweeney Field.
The Hawks (5-5-6) scored once in the final minutes of the first half before finding the equalizer early in the second half.
Jake Ross and
Charlie Undorf each scored for Saint Joseph's, while
Logan LaMaina and
Oskar Steinicke recorded assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Villanova (5-7-3) opened the scoring in the 31st minute as Karson Vazquez found the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Villanova doubled its advantage in the 38th minute when Marcello Mazzola scored off assists from Mikhail Zaretser and Vazquez.
- Saint Joseph's responded in the 43rd minute, as LaMaina won possession before setting up Ross for his fourth goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into halftime.
- The Hawks carried that momentum into the second half, with Undorf finding the equalizer in the 55th minute. Declan Sullivan played Oskar Steinicke behind, as Steinicke played a low cross into Undorf to even the score at 2-2.
- The intensity continued through the final 30 minutes as the Hawks looked to grab the go-ahead goal.
- Jake Ross and Sebastian Perez-Gasiba nearly grabbed the winner, both forcing Villanova goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev into sprawling saves to deny the go-ahead goal.
- The Hawks outshot the Wildcats, 7-2, in the final 15 minutes but were unable to find the breakthrough as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
- Tempers flared after the final whistle as players and staff from both sides gathered in a large group on the field before the situation eventually subsided. The heated finish followed a pair of red cards at the final whistle, as neither side could find a winner in the 2-2 draw.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Jake Ross scored his team-high fourth goal of the season. All three of his shots were on target, a game high in shots on goal.
- Charlie Undorf netted his second goal in the last four games after going 16 appearances without a goal.
- Declan Sullivan leads the Hawks with three assists on the season.
- Logan LaMaina and Oskar Steinicke each recorded their first career assists.
- Saint Joseph's held an 11-10 advantage in shots and a 7-4 edge in shots on target, while Villanova led 5-4 in corner kicks.
- Alex Smith made two saves for the Hawks, both coming in the span of 30 seconds in the first half.
- The draw marked Saint Joseph's first result after trailing by two goals since Sept. 7, 2014, when the Hawks rallied to defeat LIU Brooklyn, 4-3, in double overtime.
- The tie was just the fourth in 44 all-time meetings between Saint Joseph's and Villanova.
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's returns to Atlantic 10 play for its final game of the regular season. The Hawks will travel to Fordham on Saturday, October 31 for a 5 p.m. kickoff.
