PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Men's Soccer) – The Shawnee State men's soccer team fought through a driving rain storm and a two-goal deficit to score a pair in the second half before Martyn Sayer (SO/Liverpool, England) brought the game to a close with a nifty finish in the second overtime, as the Bears took a 3-2 victory over Bluefield College on Tuesday at Shawnee Turf.
Just moments before the 4 p.m. kickoff, the skies in Portsmouth opened up with a driving rain that would not stop throughout the conclusion of the match.
Just 18 minutes into the contest, Bluefield (8-4-0) got on the scoreboard. Michael Callaghan found space inside the 18-yard box and the ball escaped keeper Brandon Pfeifer (FR/Canal Winchester, Ohio)'s grip when he was seemingly kicked by an opposing player. Callaghan finished and the Rams led, 1-0.
Ten minutes later – in the 29th minute, BC took a 2-0 lead when a foul in the box led to a penalty kick. Dean Johnson took the PK for the Rams, finishing strong in the lower left corner. The goal sent the Bears into the break down, 2-0.
Needing a quick response in the second half, Shawnee State got just what the doctor ordered when Joseph Webster (SR/Kendal, Cumbria United Kingdom) played a cross from Avery Patton (JR/Pickerington, Ohio) at the back post with a header from close-range in the 48th minute. The goal – Webster's fourth of the season – cut the deficit in half.
In the 50th minute, Dylan Stevens (JR/Canal Winchester, Ohio) drew the score even with, at the time, the best finish of the contest. Following a foul from the visitor, Stevens set up a free kick from 28 yards out. The junior cleared the heads of the wall of defenders, as the shot bent into the upper 90 to tie the score at 2-2.
Though both squads saw opportunity after opportunity in the remaining minutes, neither team was able to break the draw in regulation. Shawnee State saw three more opportunities in the first overtime, but again was unable to find the back of the net.
It took just a little over one minute for the Bears to finally hit pay-dirt in the second overtime, when Martyn Sayer brought the game to a close. After receiving a pass from Stevens, the sophomore baited the defender to the right just outside of the box before cutting back to his left.
With his left foot, Sayer launched a laser which tickled the twine in the upper-90, as the Bear bench rushed onto the field to celebrate the 3-2 victory in the ongoing rain. Sayer was named the Portsmouth Pizzeria Man of the Match for his late-game heroics.
Shawnee State returns to Mid-South Conference play – after three-straight non-conference matches – with a road contest at Campbellsville University on Saturday. Kick-off is slated for 8 p.m.
