GORHAM, Maine — The Bates men's soccer team battled host University of Southern Maine to a 2-2 draw in non-conference action Tuesday evening at Hannaford Field.
First-year forward
Luke Cunniffe put the Bobcats (7–3–2) on the board in the fourth minute (3:31), finishing a feed from
Hewitt Stevenson (So.) for his fifth goal of the season.
The Huskies (2–4–7) equalized in the 17th minute (16:31) on a penalty kick by Ahmed Al Mshakheel, then went ahead early in the second half when Exauce Lenge scored off a pass from Jack Brady in the 51st minute (50:08).
Bates pulled level again 10 minutes later (61:17) as
Antonio Mesa (Jr.) converted a setup from first-year
Chris Bianco to notch his fourth goal of the year.
The Bobcats outshot Southern Maine 27–10 and held an 11–2 edge in corner kicks, but USM goalkeeper Gabe Wagner made eight second-half saves to keep the match even. Lukas Hammond played the first half in frame for the home team, tallying three denials.
Luca Balzano finished with two saves in goal for Bates in the sophomore's first-career start.
The garnet and white resumes NESCAC play Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. home tilt vs. Connecticut College. Bates will honor its senior class during a special pregame ceremony on Russell Street Track & Field.
