Medford, MA- For the second time in as many games the Falcons needed more than 90 minutes to decide the game winner. Unlike the tough loss on Monday evening against the conference rival, Washington Adventist, the Falcons battled with the Becker College Hawks in two overtimes but had to settle for a 1-1 tie. The tie brings the Falcons record to 6-4-2, while the Hawks improve to 1-9-1.
The two teams could not get much going offensively over the first 20 minutes of play as they combined for just three shots (one on goal). Over the next 15 minutes though, the Falcons started to gain momentum, outshooting the Hawks 4-1. Fisher then grabbed the first goal of the match when Jonathan Collins (Southwick, MA) dribbled his way through a pair of Hawk defenders and blasted a shot by the Hawks keeper Sam Majewski for the 1-0 with nine minutes left to play in the half. The goal seemed to light a fire for Becker as they responded with three shots of their own before the half, including a pair of shots on goal that FC keeper Christopher Garcia (Rowland Heights, CA) stopped to maintain the 1-0 lead before the break.
The Falcons tried to gain a two-goal advantage out of the half as Leonardo Mildor (Pompano Beach, FL) tested Majewski two minutes into the half, but he came up with the save to keep his team within one. Collins and Marco Savi (Burlington, MA) followed up with a pair of shots on goal minutes later, but also came up empty. Becker then tied the game up in the 54th minute as Isiaiah McCaskill dribbled down the right side of the field and made a perfect cross in front of the goal for Derrick Audain to knock it home to knot the game at one goal a piece. From that point on, Becker controlled the momentum, keeping the ball in the Falcons defensive zone for the majority of the second half. Garcia made five saves over that stretch to keep his team tied. Mildor also made a game-saving foul as McCaskill got free down the field, but he slide tackled him just outside the box forcing a free kick instead. The free kick sailed right and the score remained tied. Freshman Miguel Garcia-Zuniga (Austin, TX) got free for an open look at the top of the box with 30 seconds left in regulation, but Majewski came up with another save, sending the game to OT.
Collins had an opportunity to end it just a minute into the first OT, driving a shot to his left, but Majewski made a terrific kick save to prevent the sudden death win. Neither team had a good opportunity through the remainder of the first OT and would head to double OT. The best scoring opportunity for either team came for the Hawks in the second OT as Leemar Baptista received a perfect cross from the right, but his one-touch shot sailed high and the two teams would have to settle for the 1-1 tie.
Collins, Ryan McCassie (Waltham, MA), and Fira Lam (Sha Tin, Hong Kong) combined for 10 shots in the match to lead the Falcons, while McCaskill and Jordan Wise were the leaders for the Hawks combining for 11 shots. Garcia and Majewski each settled for a tie as they both were strong in between the pipes as they each tallied nine saves in the match.
The Falcons will have a week to rest up and get healthy as they do not play again until next Wednesday when they host the University of Maine-Fort Kent Bengals. The game is set to kick off at 5:30pm.