DANVILLE, Va. – Back home for the first time in two weeks, Averett University men's soccer fought tooth and nail to a 0-0 stalemate versus Randolph-Macon College on Wednesday night.
Randolph-Macon (4-0-1) barraged Averett (2-2-2) in the first period, sending 12 shots at goal, as the Yellow Jackets constantly roamed the Cougar defense relentlessly. Fortunately, the steady hands of senior netminder
Anibal Lopez prevented the visitors from tallying a goal, reaching out for four saves.
Flipping to the last 45 minutes, storylines remained mostly the same, but Averett had its chances to make moments happen. A near olimpico from a corner in the 53rd minute appeared to sail past every Randolph-Macon defender, until opposing goalkeeper Ethan Chenoweth barely got a fingertip on to barely keep the ball out of the net.
A near dagger sunk the home side over 10 minutes later, as the Yellow Jackets draw a penalty. Kevin Sprince's spot kick rocketed to the middle left side, where a diving Lopez cleared it out, making the best save of the night.
Scrappy soccer was the name of the final third, as neither team could muster up a clear-cut chance, but played hard-nosed defense to keep the zeroes up on the scoresheet. The draw secured Averett's second of the year, and Randolph-Macon's first.
The Cougars extended their unbeaten streak versus the visitors to two with tonight's result. Lopez had yet another eventful night behind net, totaling seven saves.
The start of ODAC play looms, but not before Averett finalizes its last non-conference Division III game beforehand. The Cougars take a weekend trip to Fayetteville, North Carolina to face Methodist University on Saturday, Sept. 20. Start time is set for 4 p.m.
