RADFORD, Va. - After an injury-riddled beginning to his season, senior Stephan Brossard (Port Washington, N.Y.) knew he had some scoring to make up. Unluckily for the host Radford Highlanders, the Red Fox forward decided Friday night would be the night that he breaks out. Brossard netted both goals for the Marist men's soccer team in its 2-2 tie at Radford.
After surviving an initial Radford attack that registered four shots in the opening 23 minutes, the Red Foxes took their turn on offense. On just their second shot of the game, Marist would find itself up 1-0 on the strength of Brossard's first goal of the season. Junior Wes Finch (Newburgh, N.Y.) would begin the scoring drive by controlling a poor clear; he then quickly distributed the ball through the box to a waiting Brossard for the easy finish at 27:45.
Radford didn't take long to respond as the Highlanders evened the score at 1-1 2:25 later at 30:10 on a Bernardo Ulmo header. Just 1:42 after their first goal, the Highlanders netted goal number two as Luis Grande scored at 31:52.
The game would conclude the first half at 2-1 in favor of Radford. The hosts also held advantages in shots at 8-3 and corner kicks at 4-1.
The second half had a distinct Marist feel to it as the Red Foxes would succeed both offensively and defensively.
In the attacking third, Marist was able to unleash 10 shots, including six on goal. They also earned four corner kick opportunities. Sophomore Matty Berman (West Orange, N.J.) began the peppering of Radford's goalkeeper Ryan Taylor with a shot on goal in the 55th minute. Following a denial by Taylor of his shot in the 61st minute, Brossard got revenge less than two minutes as he controlled a loose ball in Radford's box and netted Marist's second goal at 61:58.
The Red Foxes fought hard for the go-ahead goal throughout the rest of the second half, as Cesar Ceja (Port Chester, N.Y.) and Emeka Nwachukwu (London, Ontario) put shots on Taylor. Brossard also had his opportunities for the hat trick, but was denied by the post and crossbar on consecutive possessions.
After 90 minutes of play, the action would move into overtime were the Red Foxes came out with vengeance in the opening 10 minutes. In the first period, Finch had a header snagged by Taylor, while senior Josh Faga (Rochester, N.Y.) missed high and was blocked on his two attempts towards the goal.
In the second overtime, Marist withstood a strong Radford attack that included two shots on goal and three corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Anthony Sokalski (London, Ontario) came up huge in both attempts on goal with his third and fourth saves of the game. His fourth was especially important as it came with just four seconds remaining in the contest.
The game would go final with the score 2-2. With the tie, Marist moved to 2-3-1 on the season.
Statistically, each team registered 16 shots, with Marist holding an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal.
"We started out slow and let them dictate the play. After regrouping at halftime, we got back to playing our game and really dominated" said head coach Matt Viggiano after the contest. "We showed good character tying the game up, but ultimately deserved better. Hopefully we learn from this game and come out with a win the next time we are in this type of match."
The Red Foxes will be back in action on Sunday versus UNC-Asheville at Radford in the conclusion of the Radford Invitational. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
