MONTCLAIR, N.J. – The Haverford College men's soccer team erased a 2-0 deficit against No. 9 Montclair State to tie its game Wednesday evening just over five minutes into the second half. The Fords and Red Hawks stayed deadlocked until just 20 minutes remained before the home team knocked in the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal to escape with a 3-2 victory.
Despite the final score, it was the Fords that had the upper hand in offensive chances by putting nine of their 10 shots on frame during the match. Montclair State held a slight edge in total shots with 13 for the contest, but the Haverford defense let just six of those attempts on target.
Haverford found itself faced with the early deficit after Montclair State struck just over six minutes in and added another goal on a penalty kick during the 19th minute of play. Damian Bziukiewicz opened the scoring in the seventh minute for the Red Hawks before Lucas Terci converted the penalty kick opportunity after a foul in the box just under 12 minutes later.
Looking to crack the scoreboard, Ryan Hill scored his second goal of the season with just under four minutes to play in the opening half. Hill made the most of his fresh legs as he had just come on as a sub for Tejan Walcott 10 minutes earlier.
Coming out of the break, Haverford carried the momentum of its goal late in the first half over to the final 45 minutes. An early shot off the foot of Brady Seitz was saved just 90 seconds into the second half. However, Walcott took possession four minutes later and beat the Red Hawks' defense for his second goal of the year after coming back onto the field at the beginning of the second half.
After tying the match at two-all, Haverford had the only shot on goal before the deciding tally as an attempt from Sam Yarosh was stopped by the Red Hawks' keeper Mike Saalfrank. Montclair State had three shots during the next 20 minutes of play, but sent two wide while the Haverford defense blocked down the other attempt before it reached the target. Nevertheless, the hosts broke through in the 71st minute when Mike Taranto finished an unassisted go-ahead goal to put his team up 3-2 with just under 20 minutes left in regulation.
Seeking another equalizer, the Fords had several opportunities to knot the score over the final 15 minutes. Haverford earned just the third corner kick of the evening between the two sides, two of which went to the Fords, in the 78th minute. Walcott also made a pair of runs at his second goal of the evening in the 85th and 90th minutes. Both of his attempts, the last chance coming with just 30 seconds remaining, were saved by Saalfrank to maintain the 3-2 score.
Walcott finished with a match-high four shots on the evening. Yarosh also had a pair of shots turned away. In goal, Sam Miller made three saves for Haverford.
Men's soccer will be back on the road this weekend for the start of Centennial Conference play against Johns Hopkins. The Fords and Blue Jays will meet this Saturday at 1 p.m. in a rematch of last year's first round contest in the Centennial Conference Tournament.