LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates men's soccer battled to a 1-1 draw against the University of Southern Maine on a rainy Tuesday night, overcoming an early deficit with an equalizer before holding firm defensively behind a strong second-half performance in net.
Southern Maine (4-5-5) struck first 10 minutes into the match, but Bates (4-4-3) quickly looked to respond.
Danny Burke (Holliston, Mass.) put a shot on goal in the eighth minute and sent another just high and left in the 11th as the Bobcats searched for an equalizer.
Bates found its answer in the 18th minute when senior
Luc Parr (New Fairfield, Conn.) finished low and center off a pass from first-year
Marc Chedid (Lexington, Mass.), leveling the score at 1-1 just nine minutes after the Huskies took the lead.
Bates junior goalkeeper
George Nassar (Newtonville, Mass.) came up big in the closing stages of the first half, making two saves in the 30th minute to keep the match even. Senior captain
Andrew Goddard (Enfield, Conn.) and sophomore
Alden Yu (Ridgefield, Conn.) each had opportunities in the 32nd and 33rd minutes, while first-year
Connor Seymour (Wilbraham, Mass.) had a shot blocked in the 41st minute as Bates pushed for a go-ahead goal. Neither team found the net again before halftime, sending the sides into the break tied at 1-1.
The Bobcats carried their attacking pressure into the second half. Chedid led the charge, forcing a save in the 46th minute before firing two more shots around the hour mark. Sophomore
Will Stillman (Windsor, Conn.) had attempts blocked in the 55th and 72nd minutes, while sophomore
Tully Haydar (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) saw his shot blocked in the 75th.
Nassar remained steady at the other end, turning away a low shot in the 56th minute before coming up with a flurry of saves late in the match as Southern Maine pushed for a winner. The Bates goalkeeper stopped three shots in less than a minute during the closing moments to preserve the draw.
First-year
Balthazar Liste (Jersey City, N.J.) had two chances turned away in the 70th and 83rd minutes, while Seymour forced one final save in the 89th minute. Despite late opportunities on both sides, neither team could find a winner as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Bates returns to NESCAC action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Bobcats host No. 23 Tufts at 3 p.m.
