TIFFIN – It was an uphill battle for the Wilmington College men's soccer team from almost the beginning Tuesday.
Heidelberg scored just 26 seconds into the match, but the Fightin' Quakers were able to fight back and earn a point with the 2-2 tie in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action at Mayer Field. It was the second consecutive overtime game for Wilmington, which improved to 6-4-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the OAC.
"(Heidelberg) just lost a frustrating game and they had to come out strong," said Bud Lewis. "To our credit, I am pleased with how the players to come back. Heidelberg is a good team, a team that we could have very easily fallen prey to. A tie is disappointing, but it's better than a loss."
Freshman Marcus Torbjornsson's (Langas, Sweden) goal in the 67th minute, the first of his career, allowed the Fightin' Quakers to earn the tie. However, Wilmington had several chances in each overtime period to steal the victory.
In the first overtime period, junior Dan Wicks (Cincinnati, OH/Reading) had a point blank shot saved, and sophomore Erik Hammar (Stockholm, Sweden/Ava Gymnasium) missed the rebound. Torbjornsson had a shot denied with 37 seconds remaining in the second extra session and the Fightin' Quakers settled for tie.
"It was the lack of composure in front of the goal that we have talked about," said Lewis. "We just couldn't put it in the net."
Wilmington actually fell two goals behind when the Student Princes tallied its goal in the 14th minute.
Freshman Cody Sabins (Marysville, OH/Marysville) started the road back as he deposited an assist from sophomore Evan Schlagetter (Sidney, OH/Sidney) into the back of the net in the 27th minute.
"Cody Sabins took the team on his shoulders, cracked a shot from 35 yards out and that got us closer," said Lewis.
The game featured four yellow cards, three by the Quakers. Wilmington outshot the hosts 17-15, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Student Princes, however, recorded more than twice as many corner kicks, 11-5.
Wilmington returns to the pitch 3 p.m. Saturday when the Quakers travel to Alliance for a OAC meeting with Mount Union.
