HAMILTON – Colgate senior
Christian Clarke scored the game-tying goal with less than three minutes left in regulation and the Raiders battled back for a 2-2 draw against Yale on Sunday evening at Beyer-Small '76 Field.
The Raiders came away with their third draw in four games to move to 0-1-3 on the season. Yale remained unbeaten at 0-0-2 after tying Syracuse on Friday.
Colgate jumped on the board in the 18th minute behind
Kian Alberto's first goal of the season. But Yale responded to tally the game's next two goals, with the latter marker giving the visitors a 2-1 lead they carried deep into the second half.
A late Bulldogs foul gave
Drew Fischer a throw-in, and the freshman launched a perfect pass into the box. Fighting off several defenders, Clarke connected on the throw-in and sent a header high into the netting for the equalizer with just 2:13 left in regulation.
The Raiders maintained their momentum and proceeded to outshoot Yale 6-0 in the two overtime periods. But it would be to no avail as the two teams settled for the 2-2 draw.
Kentaro Morrison earned the best chance midway through the second overtime. He dribbled into Yale territory before shifting on a dime to his right and uncorking a shot toward the left post but Bulldogs keeper Elian Haddock made the diving save to preserve the tie.
Alberto's early goal staked Colgate a 1-0 lead. Fischer possessed the ball near the top of the box and slipped a pass to his left, where Alberto beat a defender and roped a shot inside the far post for the go-ahead marker in the 18th minute.
Yale responded late in the half to draw the match level at the break. Following a Bulldog corner kick, Paolo Caroll centered a pass for Mark Winnhoffer, who quickly sent a redirected cross and DJ Palmer struck the one-timer past Colgate keeper
Jacob Harris.
The Bulldogs were busy in the offensive end and cashed in early in the second half on a long-range shot from Winnhofer. Miguel Yuste drifted a pass back and Winnhofer carried his momentum into a 25-yard beam that pocketed into the upper left corner in the 52nd minute.
Adjustments for the Raiders led to more scoring opportunities as the half progressed.
Edward Bass earned a strong opportunity but his shot rang off the post in the 71st minute.
Max Edelstein kept a ball alive near the goal line and Alberto found Bass just outside the six-yard box, where he spun and fired a shot off the right woodwork.
Yale clung to its 2-1 lead down to the final minutes before Clarke's late heroics gave the Raiders their second consecutive tie.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 2, Yale 2 (2OT)
QUOTES
Head Coach Erik Ronning
On the game:
"I am certainly happy with our guys' response and resolve after a slow start to the second half. Finding the equalizer is always an exciting moment and it tells you a lot about our character. I am proud of our effort to come back. We will take the draw, but we certainly need to work on getting off to better starts. That is on me and we will keep getting better."
On the game-tying goal:
"Set pieces are something we work on every day. We were able to take advantage of a long throw-in, but Christian just made a great play. I am happy for him and for the team. We were really pushing for a win after that goal and I am happy with the momentum we created."
On the heavy pressure in two overtimes:
"Later in the game we changed tactics a little bit. Every time we get down there offensively, we played with more urgency and pushed more numbers forward. There were a couple changes in the last few minutes and we stuck with it. Our guys were trying to win a game. Soccer is a hard game to score in and we gave ourselves a good chance in overtime. We just have to finish."
Senior Christian Clarke
On playing the annual Down Syndrome Awareness Game:
"The Down Syndrome Awareness Game has always been a very exciting event for our team. We really enjoy playing in front of our friends from Pathfinder Village. Their energetic spirits before kickoff really motivate us to play well."
On scoring the game-tying goal:
"I am glad that I was able to contribute to their experience by scoring the game-tying goal. Not the result that we wanted, but the Down Syndrome Awareness Game is always an awesome event to be a part of."
NOTABLES
- Colgate outshot Yale 6-0 in the two overtimes to own an 11-10 edge for the game.
- Yale held a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal, but did not have one after the 84th minute.
- Fischer recorded assists on both Raider goals to give him a team-leading four points.
- Clarke's goal was his third in a Raider uniform. Alberto netted his second.
- Harris finished with four saves in net for Colgate.
- Fouls were 14-13 in favor of Yale.
- Yale led the advantage in corner kicks, 2-1.
- This is the first Colgate-Yale meeting since 2012, and the all-time series is now 2-2-2.
UP NEXT
Colgate hits the road to face Albany on Thursday for the Raiders lone away game over the next two weeks. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
