HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team (0-4-1) was stunned by a late Neumann goal in a 1-1 draw at Walton Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Knights (1-2-2) managed to equalize with just 11 seconds remaining.
The first 45 minutes were scoreless, with the visitors holding a slight 5-4 edge in shots. Neumann came out aggressively in the opening minutes of the second half, firing off a pair of attempts, including two strikes on goal that Jackson Simon turned away. However, it was Haverford who found the back of the net first in the 51st minute. On a strong counterattack after some continued Neumann pressure, Aidan Lacy delivered a precise pass to Andrew Fritz, who hammered it home for his first goal of the season.
Haverford pressed to extend its lead, with Thomas Vanni getting a strong chance just moments later and another crucial look in the 74th minute. A header from Vanni was corralled by a leaping Jackson Laznik, who kept the Fords' advantage at just one.
Fritz put a shot on frame in the 80th minute, but from that point, Neumann intensified their offensive pressure. Landon Maroney and Zion Atta-Krah each had shot attempts that were fruitless, while Luke Mejia saw a header diverted from danger by the Haverford defense.
A few cross-goal passes from the Knights went without resulting shots as the visitors appeared to be knocking on the door. Meanwhile, the Haverford back line ramped up its defensive efforts, making strong challenges in their defending third as precious seconds ticked off the Walton Field clock.
In the 90th minute, Neumann broke through to salvage a draw. Nick Lobiondo sent in a corner that bounced off several players in the box before finding Landon Maroney, who volleyed the ball to Jason DiFilippo in front of the goal mouth. DiFilippo headed it in, leveling the contest in the final seconds.
Vanni led the Fords with a team-best three shots on goal, while Jackson Simon had another impressive outing in between the pipes making five saves.
With a three-game homestand now concluded, the Fords will head back on the road for their next three contests, beginning with a 3 p.m. match on Saturday at the College of Mount St. Vincent in The Bronx, N.Y.
