Despite enjoying a comfortable 2-0 lead heading into the later stages of its contest against Dayton on Friday night, the Xavier men’s soccer team mustered a 2-2 draw after surrendering two late goals in a 42-second span.
The Flyers (7-3-1, 1-1-1 Atlantic 10) scored their first goal of the game seven minutes after a Musketeers goal in the 64th minute put them ahead 2-0, cutting Xavier’s lead in half with under 20 minutes remaining.
Junior forward Abe Keller blasted home a shot past Musketeers goalkeeper Justin Marshall.
Keller struck again 42 seconds later, scoring off the rebound of a penalty kick. Marshall initially saved the shot, but Keller pounced on the ensuing rebound and tied the score at two.
With the draw, Xavier (9-0-3, 2-0-1 Atlantic 10) remains undefeated, but squandered an opportunity to improve its position in the A-10 standings as the Musketeers now sit in fourth place.
Xavier opened up the scoring towards the end of the first half when junior forward Nick Hagglund notched his first goal of the season, scoring on a header up by a Gino De Paoli cross.
The Musketeers struck again in the 64th minute when midfielder Will Walker zipped his way through the Flyers defense before putting home his fifth goal of the season and his third in as many games.
Late header secures SLU comeback
Thanks in large part to a late header by Robbie Kristo, Saint Louis gutted out a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on the road over Richmond.
The game-winner came in the 86th minute of play on a corner kick. Saint Louis midfielder Alex Sweetin lofted the ball into the box, where Kristo headed it home and notched his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
Richmond (4-9, 0-4 A-10) drew first blood, as it took the lead in the 54th minute when forward Nick Butler placed a 22-yard free kick inside the left post and out of the reach of Billikens goalkeeper Nick Shackelford.
Saint Louis (9-3, 3-1 A-10) didn’t waste much time in scoring the equalizer. The Billikens found the back of the net 55 seconds later when midfielder William Hidalgo scored on a tap in from in close.
With the victory, Saint Louis moves to second place in the conference, a position the team now shares with Virginia Commonwealth. The Billikens are now riding a three-game winning-streak and have been victorious in six of their last seven.
The team’s next game will be in Philadelphia on Oct. 19 when they take on Saint Joseph’s.
Rex’s two goals lift Charlotte
Led by a pair of goals by substitute forward Jennings Rex, the Charlotte men’s soccer team shutout La Salle, 3-0, on Sunday.
Rex scored the opening goal with 20 seconds remaining in the first half when his teammate, Tyler Gibson, hit the crossbar from approximately 15 yards out. Rex got control of the ensuing rebound and quickly put the ball in the back of the net from about five yards out.
Rex wasn’t done, however, as his second goal came in the 49th minute when midfielder Giuseppe Gentile sped down the right flank and crossed the ball into the mouth of the goal, where Rex tapped the ball in for his second goal of the game.
This marked Rex’s second multi-goal game and his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Kyle Parker would later add a third goal in the 67th minute.
The No. 22 49ers (8-2-3, 2-1-1 A-10) dominated the game on both sides of the ball from start to finish, outshooting the Explorers (8-3-2, 2-1 A-10) 24-2 on shots on goal. Six different Charlotte players had at least two shots on goal.
The 49ers defense was its usual stellar self, recording the team’s third clean sheet in a row and sixth this season.
Charlotte will open up a four-game homestand when they host Massachusetts this upcoming Friday.
Michael Downs can be reached at [email protected].
