Blue Mountain, Miss.- Blue Mountain Christian men's soccer battled Xavier University of Louisiana to a 2-2 draw Thursday afternoon at The Summit in an intense SSAC matchup. The Toppers held a two-goal advantage early in the second half before the Gold Rush rallied to even the contest.
BMCU came out with an aggressive offensive approach, putting pressure on the Xavier defense throughout the opening half.
The Toppers broke through in the 11th minute when
Dipanda Silva Jr. connected on a volley inside the box off an assist from
Santiago Estebanez, giving Blue Mountain Christian an early 1-0 advantage.
The Toppers continued to create opportunities throughout the first 45 minutes, outshooting the Gold Rush 8-4 while placing four shots on goal.
BMCU carried its one-goal lead into halftime.
Blue Mountain Christian wasted little time extending its advantage following the break. In the 48
th minute,
Yalin Alici delivered a cross from the left side into the box, where Silva Jr. finished the opportunity to the right side of the net.
The goal marked Silva Jr.'s second of the afternoon and pushed the Toppers ahead 2-0.
However, Xavier responded in the 56th minute when Benjamin Iglesias capitalized on a rebound off the post to cut the deficit in half.
The Gold Rush continued their push and found the equalizer in the 68th minute. Artur Rubim connected on a flicked finish following a free kick delivered by Antonio Merola, bringing the contest level at 2-2.
With momentum shifting throughout the final 20 minutes, both teams battled for possession and opportunities to find a decisive goal.
The physical nature of the conference matchup was evident.
Despite surrendering the two-goal advantage, the Toppers continued to apply offensive pressure, recording nine shots in the second half.
Neither side could find the back of the net again, resulting in a hard-fought conference draw.
Blue Mountain Christian finished the afternoon with a 17-12 advantage in total shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal.
Silva Jr. led the offensive effort with both goals, while Estebanez and Alici each contributed an assist.
The draw moves BMCU to 5-4-4 overall and 2-3-2 in SSAC play, while Xavier stands at 7-4-2 overall and 5-2-2 in conference action.
Find us here:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
