KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In road action on Saturday, the Trine University men's soccer team drew with Kalamazoo College 1-1. The tie brings Trine's record to 2-5-3 and 0-1-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. Kalamazoo has now drawn in consecutive matches and are 5-5-2 and 0-0-2.
The Thunder opened the match with a pair of shots on goal, but the Hornet keeper was able to make plays on the ball to keep the match scoreless. Senior Joey Donovan and freshman Britton Sala each tallied shots on goal in the 10th and 15th minutes.
Kalamazoo would strike first however with a penalty kick goal in the 21st minute. From there the teams would settle in until late into the first half when Trine would draw even.
In the 39th minute of play, sophomore Liam Zimmerman accepted a corner kick and played the ball perfectly into the box for classmate Gavin Hardy to get a head on it and put it in the back of the net. The score is his third of the season and Zimmerman now has points in each of the first two MIAA matches.
After starting the match in goal, senior Aidan McGonagle was relieved by freshman goalkeeper Dillon Lambert heading into the final 45 minutes.
Shots by either side were hard to come by in the second half as the defenses worked to keep the match tied. The first opportunity would not be taken by the Thunder until the 76th minute when senior Alhusain Yahya missed left.
In the 84th minute, Lambert was forced to make a save, the only one in the match for the team, on a header by the opponent. Trine set themselves up to throw the final punch to try to secure the outright win, but to no avail. Senior Tyler Murphy missed left on his shot in the 87th minute and after a pair of unsuccessful corner kicks, Zimmerman had a last ditch effort from midfield on a free kick to try to tickle the twine. His kick was on target, but corralled by the Kalamazoo goalkeeper to preserve the draw.
The Hornets outshot the Thunder 8-6 and used aggressive play to combat their opposition. Kalamazoo had significantly more fouls in the match, 28-16.
Up next, Trine is back at home versus The University of Olivet on Wednesday, October 11 beginning at 4 p.m.
