Saturday night The University of St. Thomas Men's Soccer team drew 1-1 with Angelina College at Houston Sports Park. In this case, one could argue that the score accurately reflected the intensity throughout the match. Giving the audience a thriller, both teams managed to slot one in the net within the last few minutes of the game.
The first half consisted of both teams testing the limits on either side of the pitch. Starting the half with guns blazing, we saw a high of 13 shots taken by the runners with 4 on target, followed by 7 shots taken by the celts with 5 on target. Even though both teams persisted towards the goal, neither team was able to finish their chances. Defensively, both teams stayed physical and composed in defending their nets.
The second half both teams came out just as strong as they began, and continuously worked the ball throughout the midfield. As stated earlier, the final result was a fairly even award since the roadrunners maintained 53% of total match possession whilst the Celts trailed closely behind at 47% possession. Throughout this half the Celts advanced their chances by taking 7 shots, 3 of which were on goal. Meanwhile the Runners managed to get 5 shots off, 2 of which were on goal.
Towards the remaining last minutes of the match, the intensity did not drop. In the 87th minute of the match Taty Aleman slotted a goal past the keeper to give the Celts the momentum they needed to take the lead. Shortly after, we saw another close chance in the 87th minute with Dany Castro one-on-one with the keeper but his shot was blocked. Even after conceding in the last few minutes of the match, the runners did not let down. The Celts were not able to hold the lead, and in the 89th minute we saw a goal by Omar Mora that sealed the draw for the night.
Coach Ian Clerihew's post-game thoughts: "Overall I think 1-1 is a fair result. We have some very tough games coming up, but I feel like we're in a good spot for the start of the season."
This Thursday, September 1st, St. Thomas will roadtrip to Concordia for their first away game to kick off the regular season.
