BENNINGTON, Vt. – Southern Vermont College was just 1:02 away from defeating Mitchell College in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's soccer action on Saturday, but the visiting Mariners were able to tie it up on a corner kick before a scoreless 20 minutes of overtime led to a 1-1 draw between the two squads at Everett Field.
SVC went ahead with its strike in the 23rd minute, and the 1-0 edge lasted until late in the second half. Pushing for the equalizer, MC got a strong header to go to even things as time waned. Neither crew could push one home in the two overtime periods as the match ended in the draw.
Southern Vermont moves to 0-0-2 in NECC play and 3-4-2 overall as the Mariners are now 0-6-2 on the year and 0-1-1 against the league with the tie.
The Mountaineers now gear up for a Monday non-conference game, heading to The Sage Colleges for a 5 p.m. kickoff. Mitchell next plays on Wednesday, visiting Dean College for a 4 p.m. start.
The result against Mitchell could have been seen as a move in the right direction for Southern Vermont, considering its history against the Mariners since 2012. Coming into Saturday, MC had won the previous four meetings between the two sides, outscoring the Mountaineers by a 19-2 margin across those contests while shutting out SVC in each of the last two matchups.
Saturday continued a recent trend for Southern Vermont as 90 minutes has not been enough for the team over the last two and a half weeks; it was the fourth time in that stretch that SVC has gone into double overtime, that being the most that the team has headed to extra sessions since 2013.
The Mountaineer goal came from junior Paddy McGovern (Cheshire, England) who tallied his NECC-leading ninth of the year to put his team on top in the first. Mitchell's score came off the head of junior Jose Roman III (New London, Conn.), his first of the season being assisted from the corner by freshman Christian Urena (Griswold, Conn.).
SVC freshman keeper Chris Jimenez (Newark, N.J.) came up with nine saves in the tie (3-4-2). Mitchell freshman Seth Strader (Preston, Conn.) entered the net for the visitors at halftime, making two stops in the final 65 minutes of action as he moved to 0-5-1 on the year.
Despite overcast skies and a brisk, early autumn chill in the air, play was heated from the early going as the league rivalry renewed itself and saw aggressive play throughout. There were five cautions issued in regulation, four of those coming in the second half. The officiating crew attempted to keep things from getting out of hand, whistling SVC for 16 fouls while calling the Mariners for another 13.
The ball was controlled by Mitchell for most of the first half as the Mariners tried to set up their attack, but the Mountaineers limited the visitors' opportunities and stayed composed in their defensive third. SVC utilized a transition opportunity to its fullest potential in the 23 minute as McGovern turned a long pass from junior captain Nikolas Joseph (Coventry, Conn.) into his ninth goal of the year.
McGovern collected the ball in the midfield circle, made one move to elude an MC defender and then used another to split a pair of Mariners as he worked himself into the box; with the Mitchell keeper coming out, the SVC junior slotted a shot into the lower-left corner of the frame to put his team on top 1-0.
Play started to get very chippy between the two sides in the second half with words being exchanged readily around hard fouls. The tense atmosphere would result in an ending that left all those in attendance on the edge of their seat.
The Mainers had a pair of chances to tie the game in the second 45-minute stanza, including a take that just missed the top-left corner of the goal in the 86th minute-- much to the relief of the Mountaineer faithful. As the clock ran into the final couple of minutes, Mitchell pushed hard to find the tying score. It finally came as MC was awarded a corner kick on the left side, one that paid dividends for the visitors. Urena sent a great loft to the back post, and Roman III was able to drill it home off his head to make it 1-1 with just 1:02 left in regulation.
Both teams had decent chances through the two overtime sessions, but Mitchell had a pair of open-net opportunities that would be squandered for SVC to keep its hopes alive. A Mountaineer foul in the final minute of the second extra period gave MC one last chance to win it, but the free kick would be sent over the bar before the horn sounded to conclude the hard-fought draw.
– #LetsGoSVC –