GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Guilford College men's soccer (4-9-5, 3-3-3 ODAC) team came back from an early Maroons lead to tie Roanoke College (4-9-3, 2-5-2 ODAC) in both teams' regular season finale, 2-2, securing their spot in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Men's Soccer Championship.
The two teams reflected the score in statistics, tying in shots (eight), saves (three), and fouls (nine), while Guilford edged Roanoke with two corner kicks to the Maroons' one.
Manu Diaz (Madrid, Spain) and Ken Vasquez (Pittsboro, N.C.) led the Quakers with a goal a piece, while Sebastian Urgiles (Burlington, N.C.) and Jaykob Garbia (Copenhagen, Denmark), each had two shots on net. Sam Bayer (Lakeville, Minn.) played the full 90 minutes, and made two saves to preserve the tie.
For the Maroons, Carlos Lomena and Logan Lavinder each found the back of the net, joined by only Peter Dignam with shots on goal. Denzel Marufu started in goal for Roanoke, matching stats with Bayer, letting in two goals while saving two, as well. John Carter Austin took over tending the net, making one save in the 12:55 he spent on the field.
The two teams played a tightly contested match, with Roanoke finding themselves on the board first. A takeaway on a Guilford build-up in the center of the Roanoke offensive zone led to a quick pass by Pacific Kabungulu to Lomena at the top of the 18' for a shot to the bottom left of the net, giving Roanoke the 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.
Guilford responded nine minutes later with a give-and-go down the left wing beginning with Cruz Fernandez Madero (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Vasquez. Positioned low in the box, Madero chipped the ball across the box, finding the head of Huelves Diaz to put it away in the bottom-right of the goal, tying the game at one. The score would stay 1-1 going into halftime.
The Quakers took the lead quickly out of the half, in the 46th minute, when Garbia found the ball on the endline, sending the ball towards the middle of the box. One touch by Vasquez beat the defender, and a quick shot from the right side but the ball in the upper-left corner of the goal.
The Maroons evened the match in the 69th minute on a solo goal by Lavinder, who used his body to settle a shot out of the air, finishing with a quick shot from the right wing into the upper-left for the goal evening goal.
Guilford battled the final twenty minutes with Roanoke, but neither team was able to find the game-winner.
With the conclusion of the tie, the Quakers will continue their season with an ODAC Men's Soccer Championship run. The Quarterfinal round will take place on Saturday, October 31, with the opponent and time to be determined.
#GoQuakes
