Lexington, MA – The Fighting Tigers men's soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against Lesley University in North Atlantic Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Minuteman High School.
Declan McCracken (South Kortright, NY) provided the breakthrough for Cobleskill, scoring his second goal of the season.
Spencer Reisman (Youngstown, NY) was active all over the pitch, creating opportunities and recording three shots, one on target. Forwards
Tyler Szarek (Westmoreland, NY) and
Gavin McEnroe (Burlington Flats, NY) each tallied two shots on goal, while center backs
Garrett Aikins (Morris, NY) and
Samuel Spraker (Broadalbin-Perth, NY) anchored the defensive line with strong performances.
In goal, junior keeper
Joe Wille (Gilboa, NY) made three saves in 90 minutes of action.
Cobleskill generated plenty of offense, outshooting the Lynx 15-10 and holding a 7-4 edge in shots on target. The Tigers also forced six saves from the Lesley keeper and led in corners, 3-1.
The Tigers wasted little time getting on the board, striking in the 6th minute when McCracken collected a rebound off a Reisman effort and calmly placed a left-footed shot into the top right corner to give Cobleskill a 1-0 lead. Lesley found their equalizer in the 22nd minute, capitalizing on a rebound in the box to make it 1-1. Cobleskill nearly regained the lead before halftime when Spraker launched a long throw into the penalty area, but the Lynx defense cleared the danger.
The Tigers pushed hard in the second half as they searched for a winner, keeping the Lynx on the back foot for long stretches.
Tyler Szarek was denied on back-to-back chances in the 73rd minute, while
Gavin McEnroe tested the keeper earlier in the half. Cobleskill's back line, anchored by Aikins, Spraker,
Rob Staubitz (East Rockaway, NY) and
Andrew Rimes (Walden, NY) dealt well with Lesley's counterattacks to keep the score level. In the closing stages, the Tigers nearly found the breakthrough when Reisman whipped in an 87th-minute corner, but no one could get a final touch, and the match ended level at 1-1.
Up Next:
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, October 1, with a non-conference night match at MCLA starting at 6:00 p.m.
