MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The (RV) Milligan men's soccer team took part in their second non-conference matchup of the season on Friday evening at Anglin Field, facing off with the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, the West Virginia Tech Golden Bears. In a contest that saw the Buffs claim the majority of the chances, neither side was able to convert a goal, as the tilt ended in a 0-0 tie.
The first half was the less prolific of the two in terms of chances for the two sides. The shots ended at 6-2 in Milligan's favor, and two of the Buffaloes' attempts were saved by the WVU Tech keeper. The Golden Bears did not force a save from
Sergi Cruz in the opening 45 minutes.
After a slow first 15 minutes or so of the second period,
Marco Lattanzi had his second shot of the match saved by WVU Tech in the 61st minute. The next genuine opportunity came from the visitors, who had their shot saved by Cruz on a wicked blast from the edge of the box to the near post in the 76th minute. Nearly 10 minutes later another tough save was made by Cruz on a floating ball that was ticketed for a spot just below the crossbar that Cruz lifted over the frame. The 87th minute saw the most spectacular chance of the game for MU, as
Grayson Hammond's header was stopped and deflected straight to Lattanzi, who put forth an amazing bicycle kick effort that was blasted right at the keeper and stopped. A
Zak Kersey shot would be stopped in the 89th minute, ending the chances for both sides to earn a game-winning tally.
Milligan doubled their Monday shot total against Tusculum, totaling 16 attempts in the tie against the Golden Bears. Lattanzi's five tries resulted in three on net to lead the side.
Trotter Jones took three shots, with one being on frame. Kersey and Hammond were thwarted by the keeper on their lone shots on the contest to round out the six shots on net.
Louis Folly-Castay took three off-target shots, while
Harris Lihe provided two, and Enol Morán attempted the remaining shot.
Cruz supplied the second straight clean sheet for the Buffs in net, and was aided by the efforts of his defense, consisting of Lihe,
Felipe Magalhães,
Luiz Pereira and
Isaac Lizotte. Cruz had to save just two shots in the contest due to their efforts.
Milligan (1-0-1) will now battle the King University Tornado on Tuesday, Sept. 1 in Bristol, Tenn., as the NCAA Division II opponent welcomes the Buffaloes, who remain intent on keeping their clean sheet streak intact. Kick off is slated for 3 p.m.
