LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Meeting for the second time this season, the West Chester men's soccer team (7-2-2, 4-1-2) took the road this weekend to take on PSAC East rivals Lock Haven (5-5-3, 3-2-3), but ended the match in a 2-2 draw after solid efforts from Shane Hartey (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Hall) and Andrew Markopoulos (Drexel Hill, Pa./MSR. Bonner & Pendergast).
The Golden Rams started the match confident from their 2-0 victory over the Bald Eagles in September, and Frankie Taylor (Delran, NJ/Delran) used the early confidence to unleash the first shot of the day in the 10th minute, but was saved by Lock Haven goalie, Aitor Ruiz De Equilaz.
Possession traded back and forth for the first 45 after both teams took three unsuccessful shots and goalies, Daniel Good (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) and Ruiz De Equilaz, each made one save in the first half to keep the score locked at 0-0 heading into the halftime break.
Lock Haven scored in the 59th minute, after Colton Swanson's ball made it just past Good near the post to break the scoreless tie, 1-0. With less than five minutes to go, Lock Haven doubled their lead after a West Chester own goal (2-0).
The Golden Rams didn't waiver despite the late deficit as Hartey scored less than a minute later off a free kick-assist from Owen Slack (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) to put West Chester on the board 2-1.
In need of a late goal for a draw, Markopoulos came through in a huge spot volleying the ball into the corner of the net from another Slack assist with 20 seconds left in the match to end the game in a 2-2 draw.
Lock Haven outshot West Chester 12-9 in the 90 minutes, but Good made four saves for the Golden Rams opposed to the Bald Eagles' two.
UP NEXT: The men will be back in action next Wednesday, October 12th, for their match against the Wildcats at Wilmington University set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
