Tiger Men's Soccer Settles For Draw With Manchester
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 2 | 3 |
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1 | 2 | 3 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Manchester | Wittenberg |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 7 (6) | 19 (9) |
| Saves | 6 | 3 |
| Fouls | 12 | 14 |
| Corner Kicks | 3 | 4 |
| Offsides | 1 | 4 |
SPRINGFIELD, OH - A year ago, Wittenberg and Manchester played to a scoreless draw on the Spartans' home field. That tie was one of a whopping eight on the season for Manchester, which went on to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) regular season title thanks to their propensity to find sometimes unlikely ways to secure much-needed points.
Fast forward to a warm evening in early September on the turf at Wittenberg's Edwards-Maurer Field, and the Tigers and Spartans again found themselves in a deadlock by game's end. This time, Manchester rallied from two goals down in the second half to pull out a 3-3 draw with the Tigers.
The tie was a first in 2024 for both teams. Wittenberg is now 0-1-1 on the young season, while the Spartans are 0-2-1.
Wittenberg scored first in this one, breaking the ice at the 6:04 mark on a goal by Casey Meltzer (Cleveland, OH / St. Ignatius). Two assists were credited on the play, one each to Jack Pascoal (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) and Kees Ciric (Loveland, OH / Loveland).
After Manchester evened the score in the 23rd minute, the two teams went to the locker room even at one, despite a 10-3 advantage in shots for Wittenberg. The Tigers maintained the pressure to open the second half, resulting in goals from Collin LaVeck (Carroll, OH / Bloom-Carroll) in the 53rd minute and Pascoal in the 67th.
Just 15 seconds after Pascoal's goal, which came via the penalty spot, the Spartans stunned the Tigers with a goal of their own. In the 81st minute, Manchester pulled even again, leading to the final scoreline.
For the game, Wittenberg outshot its visitors 19-7, and the Tigers held a 4-3 edge in corner kick opportunities. In goal, Manchester's Aaron Ketchmark came up with six saves to preserve the draw, while Wittenberg freshman Anthony Hernandez (Columbus, OH / Worthington Kilbourne) was credited with three saves in his first collegiate start.