DAYTON, Tenn. – The (RV) Milligan University men's soccer team returned to the pitch on Wednesday, this time on the road in Dayton, Tenn. against the Bryan College Lions. In a game in which the Buffs had the larger share of chances, the final result did not follow that trend, as the two squads played to a 2-2 tie in the midweek Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tilt.
In the opening half, it was Milligan who struck first, as a 36th-minute free kick from
Noé Bandi in the attacking third resulted in a gorgeous header being deposited into the twine by
Luiz Pereira, which was his second goal of the season. Unfortunately, as has been the trend lately, Bryan almost immediately responded with a tally in the 38th minute on a shot off a volley in the box. The score would remain tied at 1-1 until the half.
In the second period, the Buffs came out energized, creating multiple chances early. Eventually, in the 52nd minute, the Buffaloes won a penalty kick on a hand ball by the Lions in the box.
Marco Lattanzi stepped up to the spot and rolled a shot into the bottom-right corner to notch his eighth goal of the year and give MU a 2-1 edge. About nine minutes later, a controversial penalty kick was handed to the Lions after Milligan's
Sergi Cruz dove across the grass in the box and seemed to deflect the ball away from a Bryan attacker, however Cruz upended the Lions' player in the process. That contact drew the ire of the official, and it resulted in a converted penalty kick to knot up the score at 2-2 in the 61st minute. That's where the score would stay until the match's conclusion.
Milligan claimed a 20-12 shot advantage overall, with a 14-9 shot-on-goal lead over Bryan. Lattanzi was credited with 10 total shots and seven attempts on frame, as he scored the penalty kick for MU. Bandi notched four shots in total, with three of them ending up on target.
Grayson Hammond and
Ilija Dordevic both took two shots with one apiece on net. Pereira's and
Trotter Jones' single shots each were on target, while Pereira's ended up in the net.
Cruz tied for the second time this season, allowing two goals and making five saves in the contest. His record now sits at 3-1-2 for the campaign.
Milligan's (4-1-2, 1-1-1 AAC) season will continue on Saturday, Sept. 26 against the Columbia College Koalas, with kick off set for 4:30 p.m. back at home on Anglin Field.
