GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's soccer team traveled north to take on Aquinas on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 17) in game one of two this weekend. The Hornets scored the first goal, and the Saints responded with two before halftime. However, Kalamazoo put away the lone goal in the second half to secure to 2-2 tie, the first tie of the season for the Hornets.
In the first half, Kalamazoo scored the first goal in the game's ninth minute as the primary aggressor. Colin Halloran linked up with Tony Yazbeck on a corner kick, with Halloran being the beneficiary. Halloran's first season goal gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead. However, Aquinas responded with goals in the 27th and 31st minutes to gain the lead. Although the Hornets held the lead in shots by a 9-5 margin in the first 45 minutes, the Saints had a one-goal lead heading into the half.
The defense for Kalamazoo clamped down in the second half, allowing only three total shots. This defense allowed the offense more chances to tie the game up, which is precisely what happened in the 69th minute. Kalamazoo's leading scorer, Jaden Buist, took it upon himself to tie the game up with his third goal this year. Unfortunately, a couple more tries to give the Hornets the lead were turned away as the match ended knotted at two after 90 minutes.
Gavin Houtkooper (2-4-1) ended with three saves on five chances in the game. Kalamazoo held a 15-8 margin for total shots, while Aquinas had more saves (4-3) and fouls (11-10), and both teams had five corner kicks a piece.
"We had a great response in battling back to get the draw," said Head Coach Lumumba Shabazz. "We had a great opportunity to win the contest based on the number of chances we generated, and we must learn to be more efficient in the future. I loved our resiliency and character, and I can't wait to compete again tomorrow."
A quick turnaround has the Hornets traveling to Lake Forest, Ill., tomorrow (Sept. 18) to take on Lake Forest beginning at 2 p.m.