JOLIET, Ill. -- Aided by
Jack Browne's second half goal, the University of St. Francis men's soccer team rallied from a 1-0 deficit to gain a 1-1 tie with Lawrence Tech University (Mich.) in non-conference play Saturday afternoon at Joliet Memorial Stadium. The match was not without dramatics, however, as the Fighting Saints nearly won the contest in the final second when
Ted Barker's shot attempt sailed past LTU keeper Daniel Manolache just after the final horn sounded resulting in the Saints rushing the field. The goal was waved off, however, with the officiating crew disallowing the game-winning shot resulting in the 1-1 final score.
First Half
Lawrence Tech (1-1-1) held the advantage over the Saints in the first 45 minutes of play, taking six shots compared to USF's two. In the second minute, the Saints (0-1-2) saw their best opportunity to score after a corner kick nearly resulted in a goal after a secondary shot sail just right of the LTU net. After the miss, Lawrence Tech was able to create six more shot attempts over the remainder of the half, but five saves from USF starting keeper
Logan LaFrance allowed the 0-0 deadlock to hold through the halftime break.
Second Half
The second half proved to be full of physical play as four yellow cards and 24 fouls were called after the break. Lawrence Tech's offensive pace increased as each minute went by with the Blue Devil front line putting additional pressure on the Saints' defense. After USF opened the stanza with a shot eight minutes into the frame, LTU retaliated with three consecutive tries over the next ten minutes, scoring on its third attempt at the 63:46 mark to take the lead at 1-0. Browne was able to swing the momentum back in USF's favor in the 71st minute, however, after a strong pass ahead from teammate
Gabriel Estrella resulted in a goal for St. Francis. Lawrence Tech's offense responded by rattling off six shots over the next 16 minutes, but it could not connect on a go-ahead goal to take the lead. Then in the 89th minute and with the seconds winding down, the Saints were able to muster what looked to be the be game winning shot, but the attempt would be waved off marking the final score at 1-1 and denying the Saints of an outright victory.
St. Francis took six shots as a team in the loss, falling short to Lawrence Tech's 16 attempts. Browne's goal was the second of his season, while Estrella's assist was his first as a Fighting Saint. In goal for USF, LaFrance made seven saves, while allowing the one score.
Up Next
St. Francis will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 5 when it hosts Aquinas College (Mich.) at 6:30 pm. The contest will take place at Joliet Memorial Stadium.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
