OWENSBORO, KY - In a testy game that saw eight yellow cards given and a multitude of goal scoring chances, the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers and the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons ended in a 1-1 draw.
Wesleyan now sits at 1-0-1 while UMSL is 0-0-1.
It was an evenly played game from the get go, as both teams had early chances.
Matteo Napoletano forces a save from the Triton goalkeeper in the sixth minute, while UMSL themselves put a shot on goal that forced a
Soufian Khaloufi save just 10 minutes later. In the 40th minute of play, former Davies County player
Carter Hoagland subbed on and made an immediate impact, scoring in the 44th minute of an assist from
Max Wawrin. That score stood for the final minutes of the half and Wesleyan went into the break leading 1-0.
UMSL went after the Panther defense early, peppering Khaloufi with six shots in the first 10 minutes of play. Their seventh shot of the half is the one that finally got past the defense, as Luca Saewe buried a loose ball in the back of the net to tie the game. Both teams had their chances late, with UMSL's best chance coming from a penalty kick in the 86th minute. Khaloufi made a great save on the Triton's Devin Livingstone, keeping the game notched at one. Just a minute later,
Santiago Henrich looked to have scored the game winning goal, but after a joyful celebration from the Wesleyan bench it was ruled offside. Neither team was able to get anything in the final minutes and the game ended in a draw.
The Triton's out-shot the Panthers 24-8, while also having a 6-4 advantage on shots-on-goal. UMSl had three corner kicks to Wesleyan's one, while Wesleyan committed 20 fouls compared to 13 from the Tritons.
Hoagland's goal was the first of his career, while Wawrin's assist was his 10th. Khaloufi made five saves in the game.
Wesleyan will be back at home on Wednesday when they host Brescia in a crosstown rivalry. The game will take place at Panther field at 7 p.m. CT.
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