Men’s soccer draw against F&M

90 straight minutes of exertion, will and focus can seem like an eternity on a soccer field. After an hour and a half of pure competition, the next 20 minutes of pure stress can break even the strongest competitors will. This environment of “next goal wins” brings the ultimate pressure to a game and a situation. A loss brings deep agony and a defeated psyche to a team. Winning these make-or-break games, on the other hand, can define a season and provide the mental fortitude needed for a deep postseason run. When these games end in a tie, however, it just feels unresolved. Certainly you can take both positives and negatives for this type of scenario, but you really end up feeling like you wanted another 110 minutes in order to find out who the better team was. The only thing you can do, however, is move on with your season and circle the next game with that team on your calendar.

The Hopkins Blue Jays and the 23rd ranked Franklin & Marshall Diplomats battled to a 1-1 tie this past Saturday at Homewood Field. After the two teams traded goals late in the second half, the score was 1-1 after regulation. Two tightly contested overtimes could not produce a golden goal for either team and the match ended in a draw.

This is nothing new for the Jays and Dips, who have battled for conference supremacy against one another over the past decade. In their last six meetings, this was the fourth time the teams have played to overtime. Those six matches included four one-goal games and produced two ties, including the game this past Saturday.

Saturday’s game started with a defensive grittiness from both sides that has been typical of this matchup in the past. Both teams looked for a lapse in the other’s defensive game plan, and this produced few scoring chances. Only five shots were attempted between the two teams in the first half. Of these shots, both teams had only one legitimate scoring chance in this probing half. As both teams went into their respective locker rooms for intermission, they were set on breaking the others will on defense and having offensive success in the second half.

Both teams came out after intermission with a revamped attitude. The second half was a pedal to the metal offensive explosion, producing 18 combined shots and the only two goals of the game. It wasn’t until late in this half however, that either team was able to crack the others defense.

The Blue Jays landed their first blow in the 81st minute when freshman midfielder David Adejunmobi played a long ball to fellow freshman midfielder Samy Ramadane, who skillfully controlled the ball and worked his way through two defenders in the middle of the field. With only the goalie to beat, Ramadane picked the far post past a diving T.J. White to give the Jays a 1-0 lead with his second goal of his young career.

With a critical victory falling out of reach, the Diplomats quickly rallied with an offensive surge of their own off a free kick from Senior Midfielder Ryan O’Connell. From 25 yards out, he played the ball into the box that landed to the right of Freshman Goalie Matt Paris, who recorded two stops for the Blue Jays throughout the course of the match. Before he was able to get to the ball, a mad scramble led to two consecutive shots from Diplomat Junior Midfielder Max Watson that, after the initial Paris save, resulted in an F&M goal and knotted the game up at 1-1.

As regulation ended, both teams geared up for a tense overtime. During both overtime periods, neither team was able to bury a goal in the back of the net. In the 105th minute, Hopkins saw its only legitimate chance to put the game away. Adejunmobi was able to get free in the middle of the field 20 yards from the goal and blasted a shot towards the corner. Junior Goalie T.J. White, who posted five saves in this game, was able to make a diving save that preserved the tie. For the remainder of the game, neither team was able to generate a serious threat and the game ended in a 1-1 draw which saw Hopkins holding a slight advantage in both shots (12-11) and corner kicks (7-6) in this closely contested match.

The 23rd ranked Franklin & Marshall Diplomats prevented their third loss and now stand at 9-2-2 overall and possess a 2-2-1 mark in league play.

With the draw, the Jays ran their unbeaten streak to four straight games, which include three wins. Hopkins now stands at 5-6-2 overall and are 2-2-1 in Centennial Conference play. The Blue Jays travel to Allentown, Pa. this coming Saturday to face the Muhlenberg Mules at 7 p.m. Both teams possess a 2-2-1 Centennial Conference record and this game looks to be critical for the upcoming conference tournament.