Tale of Two Halves; Men’s Soccer Draws vs Mercy

On the heels of its 4-0 shutout victory over Wilmington University, men’s soccer jumped to fourth spot on the national div. II ranking. The team took its new-found confidence into its Saturday, Oct. 8, matchup against Mercy College where they used a three-goal second half to force a draw.

The Mavericks were by no means the aggressors even though they established a three-goal lead, converting three of five shots in the first half. The Pioneers snapped out of their funk in the latter 45 minutes, though, when a red card was issued to the Mavericks and senior midfielder, Alex Billington, buried a penalty kick to put the Pioneers on the board.

Less than a minute after Billington’s goal, sophomore midfielder, Charlie Ledula, picked his spot and netted the second Pioneer goal of the day, courtesy of a pass from senior forward, Jason Lampkin.

Speaking of great passes, junior midfielder, Harry Pearse, beautifully executed a corner kick where redshirt junior midfielder, Erik Berthagen was able to head the game-tying goal.

For the remainder of the game, the Pioneers exploited their advantages and got shot opportunities, but were unable to cash in, including the overtime sessions.

The 3-3 draw still keeps the Pioneers’ loss column a big ol’ donut, but the team’s winning percentage dropped from a perfect 100 to 95. Post currently sits at 9-0-1 and is the top-ranked team in the region. Head coach Andreas Lindberg and his squad return to the pitch on Friday, Oct. 14, when they visit Roberts Wesleyan College. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.