EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team held out-shot the Memphis Tigers 24-7 on Sunday night, but were unable to find the game-winning goal as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Both sides saw scoring opportunities early, as Álvaro Timón (Toledo, Spain/Valencia International University) put a shot on goal in the third minute of play and Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) sniffed out a Memphis attack with a strong save in the eighth minute.
Evansville earned a penalty kick in the 17th minute when Timón was fouled in the box by the Memphis keeper. Tancredi Fadda (Monza, Italy/University of Milan) took the penalty, but put the shot off the crossbar for a near miss.
UE got another penalty chance less than three minutes later, as Fadda earned a penalty on a foul in the box. This time, Martin Wurschmidt (Stavern, Norway/Thor Heyerdahl VGS) took the shot for the Aces and converted, putting the shot into the bottom right corner to get Evansville on the board.
The lead would not last for long, however, as the Tigers were able to equalize in the 33rdminute on a goal from Lucho Galizzi. Chase Ricker (Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva) nearly netted his first career goal in the 40th minute to break the tie, but the shot ricocheted off the post and the score remained at 1-1 going into the half.
In the second half of the play, the Aces put together a flurry of attacks, putting up 13 shots. However, the Memphis defense held strong to escape with a result. Perhaps the best scoring chance for UE came in the 86th minute on a cross into the box from Nacho Diaz-Caneja (Coruña, Spain/Oregon State), but a header from Wurschmidt snuck just outside the far post and out of play.
“We talked a lot about creating chances, and I think we doubled the amount of shots we had all season in one game,” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver. “Missed a penalty, hit the post twice, had some good looks and their keeper made a couple good saves. Sometimes that’s the game. I think we created enough chances to win and I think sometimes that’s what this is about. You do a lot to put yourself in a position to win and you don’t.”
“Right now it’s about us all staying on the same page, keep pushing forward, keep believing that the wins are going to come because we are a good enough team to win and the performances have been there.”
Timón led the Aces with six shots and two shots on goal, while Fadda also put two shots on goal on five total shots. Mroz made two saves for UE.
With the draw, Evansville moves to 0-1-3 on the season. UE is back at Arad McCutchan Stadium on Thursday, hosting Lindenwood at 6 PM.
