Moricz Scores Goal in Tie Against Hope

Moricz Scores Goal in Tie Against Hope

ANGOLA, IND.  --  In a game that needed all 110 minutes, the Trine University men's soccer team came away with a 1-1 tie against Hope (Mich.) College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at the Weaver Soccer Field in Angola, Ind.

The game remained scoreless until the 27th minute when junior Ben Moricz (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) put Trine (3-2-3, 1-2-2 MIAA) on the scoreboard with a goal to give the Thunder a 1-0 advantage.  The goal was Moricz's third of the season.  

Hope (4-4-1, 3-1-1 MIAA) came right back to tie the score with a goal of it's own shortly after that came off of a corner kick at the 32:10 mark, making it a 1-1 game.

Both teams traded shots in the final minutes of the period, but neither team could net the go-ahead score as the two squads went into halftime tied at 1-1.

In the second half, both teams took four shots, but none of the shots ended up on net resulting in the score remaining in a 1-1 tie after regulation to force overtime.

The first overtime saw freshman goalkeeper Connor Werschem (Muskegon, Mich./Fruitport) come on to replace starter Quinn O'Brien (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) and made a key save early on punching a Hope shot attempt from straight on over the top of the net, keeping the score at 1-1.  Trine would also have a couple of excellent scoring chances in the overtime period, but the Hope netminder also came up with some critical saves.  After 10 minutes of extra play, the teams remained deadlocked at 1-1, forcing a second overtime period.

Fatigue began to set in for both teams in the second overtime as each team managed one shot with the Thunder's attempt being on goal off of a header by freshman Jonathan Slone (Troy, Ohio/Troy Christian).  But the shot ended up in the hands of the Hope goalkeeper.  The lone attempt by Hope in the period sailed wide of the goal resulting in the game ending in a 1-1 tie.

O'Brien played 91:28 minutes before being replaced by Werschem and allowed just the lone goal while tallying two saves in his time in net.  Werschem played the final 18:32 and gave up no goals while stopping three shots.

Trine will wrap-up its three-game homestand on Saturday, Sept. 30 when it hosts Adrian (Mich.) College in a MIAA contest at Weaver Field.  The game is slated to begin at 2 p.m. and will follow the Thunder women who will host Hope at noon in a soccer doubleheader.