KENOSHA, Wis. - The Kalamazoo College men's soccer team participated in its final non-conference game of the regular season against Carthage on Sunday evening (Oct. 2). After falling behind 2-0 to the Firebirds, the Hornets came away with a 2-2 tie on the road. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, Aidan Gillig put away two goals to lead Kalamazoo to the draw.
Carthage got on the board early in the 12th minute due to a mistake on the Hornets. A foul on Kalamazoo in the box led to a penalty shot and eventually a 1-0 lead. The Hornets shot the ball five times, with three having a chance to even the score. However, the Firebird goalkeeper was sharp as Carthage led by one at the half.
Kalamazoo was more aggressive in the second half, peppering the net with eight more shots. But before the offense could score their first goal, the Firebirds doubled the lead in the 81st minute to make the score 2-0. Less than a minute later, the Hornets got on the scoreboard to cut the deficit in half. After Carthage took a shot and missed the goal, Kalamazoo launched a counter-attack with Aidan Gillig as the beneficiary. Michele Alia set up Gillig for the quick hitter and his second-season goal. The Hornets continued to press for the game-tying goal with only eight minutes remaining. Then, Gillig broke through again for the equalizer with 10 seconds left on the clock. Emilio Romo assisted Gillig on his third goal of the season and clinched Kalamazoo's third draw of the year.
Ryan Talanda got the tie in his first collegiate start by making five saves on seven opportunities. Kalamazoo finished with more shots (13-11), while Carthage had more corner kicks (9-3) and fouls (10-6), and both teams had five saves each.
The Hornets will begin their conference season with Olivet as the MIAA opponent. Kalamazoo will host the Comets on Wednesday (Oct. 5) as kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at MacKenzie Field.