SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Berry College men's soccer team earned a crucial point on Friday night with a 1-1 draw against the Trinity University Tigers at Paul McGinlay Field.
The result moves the Vikings to 7-4-2 (3-1-1 SAA) this season, while the Tigers go to 5-2-5 (1-0-2 SAA).
Defense was the name of the game in this contest, as both teams were in a complete stalemate for the first 45 minutes of action. Neither side could find the back of the net, with Trinity taking six shots compared to Berry's three, and the Tigers taking the half's lone corner kick.Â
Joey Captain did get a great chance to put the Vikings on the board in the first two minutes of the game, but his shot was saved by Tigers goalkeeper Jayden Schell. Grady Strickland's on target shot in the 22nd minute met the same result. Meanwhile for the Tigers, they too had two shots on target to potentially score early, but their first chance was saved by Cooper Cherry and their second was blocked.
Both teams went into the locker room tied scoreless, but Trinity would finally break through in the 55th minute. A perfect pass into the box from Leo Jauregui allowed Eduardo Parra to hammer home the game's first goal and make it 1-0.
The Tigers held that lead for the next 21 minutes of action, and it looked like they wouldn't relinquish it. However, the Vikings got the break they needed in the 76th minute.
With the Vikings on a corner kick, Bryce Epstein sent the ball into the box and Jaxon Champ was in the right spot to head the ball into the goal and tie the game with 13:14 remaining. Just two minutes later, they had a golden opportunity to take the lead.
Aiden Kanclerz intercepted a bad Trinity pass around midfield, and sprinted towards the goal with only the goalkeeper in his path to stop him. He took it into the box but was unfortunately stopped by a clutch Schell save to keep it a 1-1 game.
After that, the Tigers had three chances to snatch the win for themselves. Their first two shots in the 83rd and 86th minute were saved by Cherry, and their last shot hit the crossbar with less than a minute to play. The horn sounded and the 1-1 score was final.
Berry was outshot by Trinity 16-6, but the shot on goal difference was much smaller in favor of the Tigers (6-4). Individually, Champ led Berry with one goal and two shots, while Parra finished with one goal and five shots for Trinity.
Between the pipes, Cherry made four saves and allowed one goal for the Vikings, while Schell made three saves and allowed one goal as well for the Tigers.
The Vikings will look to carry this momentum into their next game on Sunday, October 18Â against the No. 13 Southwestern Pirates. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
