Men’s Soccer Caps Season With 4-4 Draw
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Me.-Machias (12-5-1) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
|
Penn State Brandywine (14-3-1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Penn State Brandywine led by two goals, but Maine-Machias scored twice in a 26-second span late in the game as the teams played to a 4-4 draw Saturday afternoon in the USCAA Men's Soccer Tournament.
The Lions led nearly the entire contest as James Cellucci (Rosemont, Pa./Radnor) headed in Brad Martino's (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) corner kick just 3:11 into the game for a 1-0 Brandywine lead. Under seven minutes later, Bill Walleekendeh (Chester, Pa./Chester) scored the first of his two goals to double the Lions' edge to 2-0.
Maine-Machias was within one at halftime, but early in the second half, Brad Jule (Chadds Ford, Pa./Salesianum) drove a free kick through traffic and into the back of the net to push the lead back to two goals.
Following a Machias goal four minutes later, Walleekendeh scored his second goal at the 64:56 mark. Walleekendeh received a pass from Anthony Neufville (Wallingdale, Pa./The Christ Academy) and slid a slick shot between a defender's legs and across the goal line for his 44th score of the year.
Brandywine continued to lead by two goals, but with less than five minutes to play, Machias netted a pair of goals 26 seconds apart to force the draw.
Machias recorded 16 shots on goals, compared to seven for Brandywine. Joe Opdenaker (Lenni, Pa./Christian Academy) made four saves during the first half, while Will Scott-Norris (Wilmington, Del./Mt. Pleasant) stopped eight shots during the final 45 minutes.
Walleekendeh finished his 71-game Brandywine career with 108 goals and 243 points, both Brandywine program records. The three-time All-American was twice named PSUAC Player of the Year.
Jule's 70-game career also came to an end with 31 goals and 26 assists for 88 points. He was named All-America honorable mention by the USCAA earlier in the week.
Brandywine finished one of the finest seasons in program history with a record of 15-3-1. The Lions captured their third conference title in four years and made their third appearance at the USCAA Tournament.
