Forward/Midfielder Ewan Henderson led the comeback for the Purple Eagles. |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s soccer team (2-10-2, 2-3-1 MAAC) battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 tie with Saint Peter’s College (12-3-1, 3-2-1 MAAC) Friday at Niagara Field.
Down two goals, with under 20 minutes remaining in the contest, the resilient Purple Eagles began their comeback, scoring two goals in under eight minutes to tie the Peacocks at 2-2.
Graduate student midfielder Ewan Henderson (Lincoln, England) struck a volley into the right corner of the Saint Peter’s net in the 72
nd minute to cut the deficit to one goal and jumpstart the Niagara comeback. Determined to even the game at 2-2, Niagara continued to attack the Saint Peter’s defense following Henderson's goal, firing numerous shots at the Peacock net.In the 80
th minute, a 30-yard shot by freshman forward Rafael Venturini (Vitoria, Brazil) beat Peacock goalkeeper Pat Nagawiecki high into the left side of the Saint Peter’s net to give the Purple Eagles the hard-fought equalizing goal. The shot by Venturini seemed to surprise Nagawiecki in the Peacocks’ net, as the keeper did not make an attempt on the shot. "It was nice to see us come back from a two-goal deficit," head coach Dermot McGrane said.
In overtime, the back-and-forth action between the two teams produced a breakaway by freshman forward Matt Stedman (Lockport, N.Y.) with only seconds remaining in the contest. With the game waning in the balance, Stedman dribbled past a driving Nagawiecki, and with a seemingly open net, took a shot at the open Peacock goal. With the game on the line, a diving Peacock defender blocked Stedman’s shot into the open net and preserved the tie for Saint Peter’s, as the clock expired within seconds of the save.
"We created enough chances to win the game right up to the final minute, and we missed an open goal," McGrane said following the game.
Ranked No. 7 in the Middle Atlantic Regional Poll (National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas), Saint Peter’s vaunted attack took the lead late in the first half. Peacock midfielder Marco Orias took a pass from forward Ricardo Chambers and slipped the ball into the Niagara net to give Saint Peter’s a 1-0 lead going into the second half.
In the 65
th minute, Saint Peter’s forward Chris Megaloudis volleyed a pass from midfielder Carlos Villacres high into the Niagara goal to give the visiting Peacocks a commanding, 2-0 lead with a little over 20 minutes remaining in the game. "We let a silly goal in early on, then we went, 2-0, down and I thought, here we go again," Henderson said. "But the team battled back." Henderson led the Purple Eagles’ comeback just five minutes after surrendering the second goal to Saint Peter’s.
In an even contest, both teams producing several scoring opportunities, the Peacocks outshot Niagara, 15-14.
Niagara goalkeeper Dan O’Shea (East Syracuse, N.Y.) made three saves in the game, including a save on a point-blank header by Orias in the overtime period to keep the Purple Eagles in the contest. Nagawiecki made six saves for Saint Peter’s.
Showing an iron will and a "never quit" mentality in coming back from a two-goal deficit, the Purple Eagles look to repeat the same effort when they play their final home game of the season Sunday against Manhattan College at 1 p.m.
A departing graduate student in Henderson, a two-year starter, knows the importance of his final home game at Niagara Field.
"Hopefully we can continue with this performance against Manhattan Sunday," Henderson said of Purple Eagles.
