PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Men's soccer team ended their game in a disappointing tie after leading the entire first half against the visiting Bucknell Bison this Wednesday. The Explorers looked to go into halftime with a 1-0 lead, but a last minute penalty kick gave the Bison the shot they needed to get back into the game before finishing out the half.
The two teams battled hard between the penalty boxes the entire game, neither side definitively overpowering the other. The Explorers struck first with a double assist goal in the 26th minute of the first half. After a volley from sophomore Brian Barry (Arnold, MD/Archbishop Spalding) to Jeremy Ortiz (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape), the ball was then sent to midfielder Joe Heavey (Coatesville, PA/Devon Prep), who slipped the ball past the Bison goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
The Explorers seemed to be in command the rest of the period, denying Bucknell at every turn, despite seven shots on goal. Then, with a little over a minute left, La Salle committed a charging foul resulting in an open penalty kick. From there, senior Bison Andrew Loia placed one just out of reach of La Salle goalkeeper Dan Pfieffer(Warminster, PA/William Tennant), pushing the score to a 1-1 standoff.
From there the game was a flurry of fouls and shots from both sides of the ball. Neither team dominated possession, however, and the game would eventually finish in a draw after two overtimes. Tempers flared at the very end, with Bucknell sophomore receiving a double-yellow ejection with zero seconds left on the clock.
The Explorers look for their third win of the season this weekend as they travel down Broad Street to take on the Temple Owls. That game is scheduled to begin at 2:00pm this Saturday.
