MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Millersville men's soccer team battled back in the second half to earn a 1-1 draw against West Chester.
West Chester controlled possession early in the match and capitalized just four minutes in when a shot slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Kieran Finegan, giving the Golden Rams a 1-0 lead.
Millersville struggled to create scoring opportunities in the first half, with Juan Ortiz Escobar putting two shots on goal that were saved by the West Chester goalkeeper. The Marauders earned a corner kick with nine minutes remaining in the half but were unable to convert. The first half concluded with West Chester holding a 1-0 advantage.
The pace and physicality increased in the second half as both teams pushed for a result. West Chester was issued the first yellow card before Millersville began a series of corner kicks. After two unsuccessful attempts, a foul inside the box on the third corner awarded the Marauders a penalty kick. Roy Parkyn stepped up and buried the shot to tie the match at 1-1.
West Chester looked to respond late, breaking through the Millersville backline. However, defender Kehmar Green fouled a West Chester player during the play, resulting in a red card and leaving Millersville down a man.
Despite being short-handed, the Marauders tightened defensively. West Chester earned five corner kicks in the final 10 minutes, but Millersville's defense held firm to preserve the draw.
With the result, Millersville moves to 5-1-2 in PSAC East play, remaining atop the standings. The Marauders return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. for their final home match of the season against Bloomsburg.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- Parkyn scored his 6th goal of the season
- Finegan recorded two saves
- Ortiz had two shots on goal
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH STEVE WIDDOWSON:
- The team got off to a slow start tonight. What areas need improvement before Saturday's match? "We just need to be ready to play with more intensity and speed from the first whistle. West Chester jumped on us quickly and we did not handle it well enough. If we learn then we will be fine for Saturday."
- What improvements did you notice in the second half, and how did the boys adapt to playing a man down? "We were better in our decision making and started to move the ball better but going down to 10 men really hurt our momentum. However we kept battling and found a way to gain what may prove to be a very important point."
