The men’s soccer team traveled to Robert Morris on Sept. 16 for the first contest of a four-game road trip and to St. Peter’s on Sept. 19. Both contests entered overtime and ended in 1-1 deadlocks, bringing the Bison’s season record to 2-2-2.

As the Robert Morris Colonials searched for their first win of the 2017 season, the Bison sought to build on the dominating performance they displayed at their previous match against Duquesne. The Bison fought to the very end, when a late second half goal from Nick King ’20 lifted the team to a 1-1 tie.

The Colonials’ first goal came in the 43rd minute. Despite the deficit, the Bison edged Robert Morris in shots over the course of the contest, 21-15. Of those 21 shots, 11 were on goal.

Early in the second half, Bison goalkeeper Ryan Ott ’19 was tested once again as a Robert Morris player unleashed a curling shot in the 56th minute that he punched away.

In the final 15 minutes of regulation, the Bison offense picked up speed, pushing the pace of the game. In the 85th minute, Matt Thorsheim ’21 powered the ball upfield, finding King with a low cross. King blasted the ball past the Colonial’s goalkeeper with one touch, equalizing the score. Thorsheim tallied his second assist of the season.

“It was a hard fought game and we were a bit unlucky to come out with a tie. We have to learn from it as we get closer to Patriot League play this coming weekend. We still have a lot of work to do before our game against Lafayette on Saturday,” Thorsheim said.

Regulation time ended in a 1-1 deadlock, so the game headed to overtime. In the extra period, the Orange and Blue had multiple chances to put the game away. Stefan Krystman ’19 created space in the box and placed a phenomenal shot towards the left post, which was tipped away by the goalkeeper. Just a few minutes later, Benjamin Derleth ’18 made room for himself and shot the ball on the near post, which the Colonials’ goalie again saved.

Ott made six saves for the Orange and Blue throughout the game, including one in the overtime period.

“I’d say the game against Robert Morris was another learning experience to help our young team grow and gain experience. Despite it not being our best performance, we showed resilience to come back and tie on the road,” King said.

The Bison again fought to a draw in the second game of the road trip at St. Peter’s on Sept. 19. Though St. Peter’s beat Ott in the 21st minute, the Bison rebounded in the second half when Thorsheim drew a foul in the box. Tyler Peterson ’19 converted the ensuing penalty kick, locking the score at 1-1. Thorsheim led the offense with four shots, three on goal. Ott finished the match with eight saves, two in overtime, to keep the Bison in contention. However, the Orange and Blue were again unable to put away chances late in regulation in overtime and finished with another draw.

The Bison will be back in action to open up Patriot League play on Sept. 23 at Lafayette.