SOMERS, Wis. - The #2-ranked SVSU men's soccer team posted a 2-2 tie on the road in the final match of its weekend road trip at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside today (Sept. 7).
It didn't take the Cardinals long to get going in the match, taking an early 1-0 advantage as sophomore Tyler Channell (Troy, Mich./Athens HS) used a feed from senior Lachlan Savage (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Salem HS) to score 8:07 into the contest. It was Channell's first goal of the season and Savage's first helper of 2013.
The Rangers knotted things up at the 39:05 minute mark in the first period, as Elliott Schultz found the back of the net to make the score 1-1.
That's where the score would remain as both teams headed into the half combining for 22 shots.
Only 5:47 into the second frame, Saginaw Valley got a score when a Parkside defender headed the ball into his own goal, giving the Cardinals the upper-hand, 2-1.
Jorge Ontiveros scored for the Rangers at the 59:32 marker, tying the contest at 2 goals-apiece.
Both teams combined for only two shots in the overtime periods, both coming from SVSU players. The Cards couldn't capitalize on either of those shots, ending the contest at the 2-2 final score.
It was a chippy contest with high intensity, as both teams combined for nine yellow cards and one red card.
"It was an extremely frustrating weekend for us on the road," said SVSU Head Coach Cale Wassermann. "At times we played some great soccer and looked like a top team, however, we have high expectations here at SVSU and expect to get results."
The Cardinals out-shot the Rangers by a 23-19 margin.
"In two games we took 51 shots and only had four goals," stated Coach Wassermann. "We need to have a better conversion rate to get to the level we expect. The bottom line is that when we figure out how to hold teams scoreless and get clean sheets, that is when we will start to win games."
SVSU (0-1-1) gets five days off before it travels to Lake Erie College (0-0-1) on Friday (Sept. 13) in both teams' Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.