ST. LOUIS- After Thursday's (Aug 24) games were cancelled, the Missouri Baptist University Men's Soccer team finally kicked off the season today (Aug 26) against Benedictine College.
During the first half, it was a lot of back and forth, but the Spartans controlled the tempo for the majority of the time. MBU defense put in the work, keeping Benedictine off the score board and with no shots on goal. The Spartans saw multiple opportunities themselves, the first of which came from a free kick inside the Ravens half.
Jack Griffiths launched the ball into the box to the waiting
Marko Dordevic. The Belgrade, Serbia native headed the ball into the arms of the Benedictine goalkeeper Noah Reuscher. After another foul called on the Ravens, Griffiths was once again back up to take a free kick in the opponent's half. This time the grad student chose to take the shot but couldn't find the back of the net.
The second half was tense with both teams still looking to put a point on the board. The Spartans came out aggressive, putting a lot of pressure on the Raven's defense. Ultimately, the first goal of the game came when Benedictine's Adem Aroua snuck in past the defense to slot one in. With the Spartans down 0-1, they had to dig deep to even the score. With a foul just outside of the Ravens penalty box, the Spartans found their chance. Griffiths once again was up for the free kick and was able to sneak it under the wall of Raven defenders. Reuscher was there to make the save but was unable to maintain control. Newcomer,
Jack Ridley positioned himself perfectly to take advantage of the loose ball and earned the Spartans their first goal of the season.
With the game tied 1-1 it was a battle to see who would come out on top. After a red card for Benedictine defender, Carson Poole, MBU found themselves in a man up situation with only five minutes left. The Spartan attackers were unable to pierce through the defense and the first game of the season ended in a tie.
"Tough game today," said head coach
Jake Alvernia. "I thought the boys showed a lot of heart and courage to come back after going down with 13 minutes left. I was happy overall with our play today, especially the second half. It would have been great to get the win because I thought we could have deserved it based on the team's chances today."
The Spartans will be back at home on Wednesday (Aug 30) with kickoff scheduled for noon. They will be looking to earn their first win of the season against Trinity Christian College.
