Wildcats draw with Minutemen

The University of New Hampshire men’s soccer team tied University of Massachusetts Amherst Saturday night, 1-1. Following the tie, the Wildcats are now 3-2-2 while the Minutemen stand at 2-2-2 on the season.

Most of the first half of the game was under the Wildcats control. The Wildcats had the ball mostly on the Minutemen’s half and were on the break of getting their opportunity to strike first. The moment came for the ‘Cats as they sparked a go-ahead lead at the 38 minute mark of the game when Jordan Thomas beat Minutemen goal keeper Brian Frame left post side off a penalty kick. At the end of the first half, the score was 1-0, in UNH’s favor.

The offensive advantage shifted to the Minutemen as they became more aggressive in the second half behind the offensive weapon of Brett Canepa. However, UNH goalkeeper Travis Worra stood on his head most of the game making remarkable saves trying to keep his three game shutout streak alive. 

The game seemed pretty much over for the Minutemen, but Brett Canepa came in clutch with a game-tying header with two seconds left in the second half. 

The teams were tied at one heading into overtime.

Both teams were at a deadlock in overtime as they both failed to grasp an opportunity to steal the game and could not even muster up a single shot in the 20 minutes of sudden death. The game ended in a draw 1-1. As for shots, the teams tied at nine. 

“It was a hard fought battle from start to finish and the game goes both ways,” Worra said. “We as a team know what it feels like, because we have been there before.” 

“It was a good game,” UNH head coach Rob Thompson said. “I expected this game to be even and I enjoyed the tempo of our team. However, we need to manage critical moments better and continue to play hard till the game clock hits zero. Other than that, I am content with the outcome of the game.” 

New Hampshire returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 18 when they travel to Rhode Island to take on the University of Rhode Island Rams. The match is set to start at 7 p.m.