Rezende's Career Night Preserves 1-1 Tie for #11 Men's Soccer at Adelphi Saturday
Links: Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The 11th-ranked Merrimack College men's soccer team needed a career-high six saves from sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Rezende (Weymouth, Mass.) and a second-half equalizer to preserve a 1-1 draw on Saturday against the Adelphi University Panthers from Motamed Field on Long Island.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 1, Adelphi 1
Records: #11 Merrimack (7-1-2, 3-1-2 NE-10) | Adelphi (5-2-2, 4-1-1 NE-10)
Location: Motamed Field | Garden City, N.Y.
What They Said
Head coach Tony Martone: "Another game where the elements played a factor, but we got a strong effort from Lucas, and Oscar was able to tie it for us to get a point. I'm pleased that we didn't leave empty-handed against another talented opponent."
How It Happened
Playing in its second straight game dealing with less-than-ideal conditions, the Warriors battled through both the wind and the rain throughout the afternoon.
Starting for the second straight game, Jaime Cortes Torres (Seville, Spain) registered a fourth-minute shot that was saved by Sergio Reyes of the Panthers. Adelphi responded with its first shot-on-goal in the 15th minute, which was stopped by Rezende for his first save of the night.
The squads took one combined shot over the remainder of the opening stanza, an attempt in the 39th minute that Rezende snagged. The opening half ended with neither team scoring. The Warriors picked up two yellow cards in the first 45 minutes, given to Mattia Lanzi (Viterbo, Italy) and Julio Leon Garcia (Caracas, Venezuela).
Adelphi broke through early in the second stanza. Handling a cross through the six-yard box, Caelan Hueber headed a shot off the post and just over the line to make it 1-0 game on his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Between the 57th and 61st minute, Rezende came up with some of his biggest saves of the season. The first shot came off James Thristino before stops on Hueber and Thristino just 15 seconds apart. The stop on Hueber was the most impressive as the Adelphi forward escaped for a breakaway and shot from inside the 18-yard box, but Rezende dove to his right, fully extended, to deflect the ball away.
Less than 30 seconds after his final save of that stretch, the Warriors equalized. Collecting a loose ball from 25 yards out, junior Oscar Zepeda Cagide (Jalisco, Mexico) ripped a right-footed volley that went in under the bar to tie the contest at one-all.
The Navy and Gold nearly took the lead in the 69th minute after a throw-in from junior Connor O'Brien (Sandwich, Mass.) bounced into the six-yard box where Lanzi took a left-footed shot toward goal, but Reyes was positioned at the near post to make the save.
The final 20 minutes went by without either side securing any dangerous chances, as the game went to overtime. Adelphi recorded the only two shots in the first extra session, included an attempt that went just wide from Federico De Oliveira in the 99th minute. In the 103rd minute, three minutes into the second overtime, freshman Todd Righini (Salem, N.H.) played a ball into the box that Alexander Alleyne (Swampscott, Mass.) flicked just wide of the far post.
That ended up being Merrimack's best chance of the final 20 minutes. The Warriors finished with their second tie in as many games, with Zepeda Cagide's goal snapping a two-game goalless drought.
Inside The Numbers
- The goal for Zepeda Cagide snapped a 17-game scoreless drought as he scored his first of the season. He now has five career goals, with his last three coming away from Martone-Mejail Field
- Rezende played his best soccer of the season, particularly in the minutes leading up to the equalizing goal. His six saves bested his previous career high of four set earlier this season at New Haven
- For the first time in 2015, the Navy and Gold were outshot as Adelphi attempted 17 shots compared to 10 for Merrimack. Each team finished with three corners apiece
- Lanzi and Zepeda Cagide tied for the team lead with three shots apiece. Junior center back Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England) added a strike in the second half
Up Next
The Warriors have a week off before returning home for another contest against one of the top program in the conference as Southern Connecticut comes to North Andover on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. of the rematch of last season's NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup.
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