Warriors Battle to double overtime tie 0-0 with Concordia
At Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac Mi., the Rochester College men’s soccer team, battled to a 0-0 two overtime tie with the Concordia University Cardinals.
The first half saw the Warriors get the better of the opportunities in a back and forth match. The combination of junior striker Brian Matlock (Southfield/Lathrup) and freshman striker Jon May (Linden/Linden) put a lot of pressure on the Cardinal defenders with their combination play. Center midfielders, junior Justin Sellers (Lake Orion/Oakland Christian) and freshman Chad Helberg (Hazel Park/Hazel Park) provided support and found themselves able to create opportunities on the Cardinal net, but unable to capitalize, as the 1st half ended 0-0. The Warriors had 12 first half shots to the Cardinals 6 shots.
The 2nd half started much the same way with the Warriors putting early pressure on the Cardinals but Concordia was up for the challenge and began to create their opportunities on the Warrior net. The Warriors were able to organize themselves with outstanding effort from sophomore midfielder Jamal Jones (Romeo/Romeo) and freshman midfielder Eric Riden (Hazel Park/Hazel Park). Both teams came close to taking the lead. Helberg, who had moved to the outside mid, had a breakaway shot on goal that hit the crossbar in the upper 90 corner. Several other Warrior opportunities just missed the mark or were high over the bar. The 2nd half and regulation ended at 0-0. The Warriors had 9 2nd half shots to the Cardinals 5.
The match moved into the 1st 10 minute overtime period with both teams being cautious yet creating opportunities. The Warriors generated 5 OT shots to the Cardinals 4, with the period ending at 0-0.
The 2nd 10 minute OT period began with both teams trying to gain an edge but neither team was able to take the upper hand, with the match ending at 0-0.
For the match, and 2 OT periods, the Warriors outshot the Mustangs 26-15. The Warriors senior goal keeper Dave Ristich (Waterford/Kettering) faced 15 shots and made 4 saves for the match, while recording the shutout.
The Warriors will return to action on Wednesday October 21th, at Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mi. at 4:00pm, versus UM Dearborn in their final regular season match.
The Warriors record is now 10-5-1.
