Men’s Soccer vs. Milwaukee | Photo by Brett Hull | The Wright State Guardian
It was a solid week for Wright State University (WSU) Men’s Soccer as they played conference games against the Northern Kentucky Norse (NKU) and the Milwaukee Panthers (MKE).
Both games went all the way to double overtime, but the Raiders came out of the week with a 2-1 win over NKU and a 1-1 tie against MKE.
The game-winner by Harvey Slade was off of a WSU corner kick, sent in by Presten Manthey, which Slade headed into the far-post with 11 seconds left before the game would have been tied.
Slade stuns the Norse
The Raiders faced their biggest rivalry of the year on the road, with NKU fans cheering on the Norse through the entire game.
WSU still dominated early, with three corner kicks in the opening minutes and eight shots in the first half. Neither team scored until later, but the game looked promising for the Raiders.
In the second half, NKU broke through first, with Daniel Kaufman scoring in the 52nd minute. Ryan Godding would receive a quick throw-in just outside the box, and two quick touches for Kaufman put him through four defenders, and a quick third touch pushed the ball into the bottom left corner.
The Norse couldn’t hold their lead, as hard pressure from the Raiders forced a defensive mistake in the box, and a header from Zion Beaton capitalized, tying the game 1-1 in the 77th minute.
The game went into overtime and then double overtime, with the first team to score taking the game.
It looked more and more likely that the game would end in a tie, as WSU won a corner kick with 40 seconds left to play. Manthey took his time, and connected with Slade around the six-yard box. Slade placed the ball toward the back post, and it bounced off the post for a game-winner.
Slade ran towards the dugout, where players on the field and off mobbed and celebrated their victory, as NKU players laid down where the corner kick had come in, looking on in disbelief.
A taste of your own medicine
The Raiders headed to double overtime again against MKE, but this time the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Both teams scored in the first half, with Beaton scoring his second of the week for the Raiders off of a defensive mistake from the Panthers. They responded six minutes later off of a defensive mistake from the Raiders, this time finished by Adi Vaknin.
The Raiders almost immediately responded, but Conner Osterholt’s shot would bounce off the post. WSU continued to pressure, but their 23 shots to MKE’s 13 wouldn’t be enough for a second goal.
At the last minute of double overtime, the Panthers found themselves in the exact situation the Raiders were in against NKU. A corner kick for the Panthers decided the game in the final minute.
A Panther got the first touch in the six-yard box and was wide open, but wasn’t able to redirect it towards the net.
