Tartans men’s soccer ties UAA rival Chicago
The Carnegie Mellon men’s soccer team played once this past week, in a University Athletic Association (UAA) showdown on Saturday against the University of Chicago Maroons in Gesling Stadium. Both teams entered the game looking for their first win in UAA play and Chicago nearly got theirs, except for some late-game heroics from Tartan first-year Adam Bogus.
Bogus made his first career goal a memorable one as his header tied the game with under three minutes to go in regulation time. Neither Carnegie Mellon nor Chicago scored in overtime, resulting in the two teams settling for a 2–2 tie.
The Maroons (5–5–1, 0–1–1 in the UAA) got on the board in the 18th minute when sophomore forward Edgar Friloux chased down a long pass, flicked the ball past charging Tartan junior goalkeeper Matthew Bazin and then placed the ball into the empty net. Chicago first-year forward Alex Clifford put the Maroons up 2–0 in the 32nd minute when he laced a kick into the net from 30 yards out.
The Tartans (6–1–1, 0–1–1) mounted their comeback bid late with sophomore forward Ricky Griffin scoring his team-high eighth goal in the 73rd minute to pull Carnegie Mellon within one. Senior defender Chris Watts passed the ball up to first-year midfielder Max Betzig. Betzig’s pass from the right side went to Griffin, who one touched the ball past Chicago first-year goalkeeper Steven Baron.
“Getting down early and coming from behind is not what we want to do every game, to say the least,” Bogus said. “The fact that we are coming back really shows how much pride, how much work ethic we do have to fight back.”
Still trailing by one with time running out, the Tartans were awarded a throw-in near the left end line. Sophomore midfielder Jonathan Simon threw the ball in toward the goal, sophomore forward Patrick Lutz redirected the ball toward the front of the goal, and Bogus headed the loose ball at Baron, who bobbled the ball while stepping back, causing the ball to cross the goal line and tie the game at two.
“It went off a head of some defender and just came right across the goal mouth and I leapt in the air, headed it, and it went off the goalie’s hands and in,” Bogus said. “It ended up on the goal line and I knew it was in, it had to be in.”
The 20 minutes of overtime went back and forth with each team having a couple scoring opportunities, although none materialized. “Just don’t let up a goal; that was the main thing going through my mind during overtime,” Bogus said. “They had one chance which was pretty scary, but then we had a few chances. Both teams were tired and obviously slow but still fighting. This game was absolutely huge. We really needed to win but we also could not afford to lose. A tie is doable for now but we need to get a win next game.”
Men’s soccer will return to play on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. when they take on La Roche College.