NORTON, Mass. (taken from a Wheaton College press release) -
Junior Estiven Benitez's (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills
Regional) long goal in the 67th minute pulled the Rutgers
University at Newark men's soccer team into a tie with Brandeis
University, and the teams settled for a 1-1 stalemate in double
overtime during the first day of Wheaton College's Adidas Kick-Off
Classic on Saturday at Keefe Field.
In the first game, Wheaton knocked off the University of Southern
Maine, 5-1. The classic wraps up tomorrow when Wheaton takes on
Rutgers-Newark at 12:00 p.m. and Brandeis squares off with Southern
Maine at 2:00 p.m.
The Scarlet Raiders, who moved to 0-1-1, held a 15-11 advantage in
shots, while junior Matt Zielyk (West Orange, N.J./Seton
Hall Prep) turned in six saves. For the Judges, junior
Matt Lynch (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) made three
stops for a squad that was opening its season and recorded seven of
the contest's 10 corner kicks.
Brandeis took the lead just 3:40 into the game, as freshman
Lee Russo's (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy)
corner kick found the head of a Rutgers-Newark defender, who
inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net.
Midway through the first half, each team had one-on-one
opportunities with the opposing goalkeeper during a span of less
than a minute. Rutgers-Newark junior Robert Campos (East
Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) first was denied by Lynch
before the Judges countered, with sophomore Luke Teece
(Tucson, Ariz./University) being turned away by
Zielyk.
Benitez tallied the equalizer at 66:54, serving a ball from the
right sideline just beyond midfield and finding the far left corner
of the goal. Brandeis nearly took the lead back, but Zielyk came up
with a fingertip save of Teece's close-range shot in the 75th
minute. The Judges took four of the five shots during the two
overtime periods, but neither team sent a shot on goal.