Men's Soccer tallied late goals in each of its last 2 matches to earn draws. On Saturday afternoon, the Colonels struck early at Brevard and led most of the way, but the Tornados had an answer late as the teams settled for a 1-1 tie.
The Colonels needed just 2 minutes, 23 seconds to grab the lead as a passing combination of
AJ Daniels and
Ryan O'Hara set up
Amit Shahar for the finish.
Tyler Smith nearly made it a 2-0 lead in the 7th minute but was turned away. Centre kept the pressure up with back-to-back corners but could not find a clear line.
Ryan O'Hara had a go at goal in the 23rd and 29th minutes but was turned back each time. On the other side, Brevard struggled against Centre's aggressive defense, failing to record a shot attempt in the first half, as Centre took the 1-goal lead to the 2nd half.
Martin Cortez was tested in the Centre net for the first time in the 49th minute and was able to push a rising shot over the bar to preserve the lead.
Ryan O'Hara went for goal again just over a minute later but was again denied by the Brevard keeper. Centre kept the lead and Brevard out of scoring range until the equalizer came in the 80th minute. Cortez had to deny the Tornados the lead with a stop in the 86th minute. The dramatics came with less than 30 seconds to play as a Brevard attacker broke free and tucked home the would-be winner, but he was called offside, bringing the match to a breathtaking close.
Martin Cortez finished with 4 saves on the day to preserve the draw. Centre stays in North Carolina to take on Warren Wilson on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 2:00pm.
