Yellow Jackets draw with Bulldogs

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance College men's soccer and the Adrian Bulldogs played to a 1-1 draw at Adrian's Docking Stadium Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets move to 3-3-2 and the Bulldogs are now 0-5-2.

The Bulldogs wasted no time in this one as Owen Emert recorded the first shot attempt of the game 66 seconds into the contest. The following four minutes resulted in the two teams exchanging fouls. Jack Stanoikovich recorded the first shot attempt for Defiance in the ninth minute but it was high and off the mark.

The Yellow Jackets followed up with another goal opportunity. This time, the duo of Griffin Meyer and Riley Hensley went to work again. Meyer stole the ball just inside Defiance's side and passed it ahead to Hensley. Hensley took it down the sideline and from a slight angle, smoked the ball through the hands of Adrian's goalkeeper for a goal, his seventh of the season and Meyer was credited with the assist. 

That goal would hold up and the Yellow Jackets went into halftime with a 1-0 lead after Orry Killam made two saves late in the first half. 

Adrian's CJ Fritz recorded the first shot opportunity in the second half in the 54th minute. After controlling the ball for the majority of the game and a major part of the second half, the Bulldogs finally broke through and tied the game in the 67th minute. Off a corner kick, Keliam Green sent the ball into the box and Brady Musser headed the ball into the lower right corner of the net to tie the game. 

After that goal, the game started to get physical as five yellow cards were handed out in the final 20 minutes. The Yellow Jackets would have two solid scoring opportunities late in the game but couldn't convert as Adrian's goalkeeper Jackson Vacca made two great saves. Adrian was called for a foul in the 87th minute but the foul was deemed just outside the box. Griffin Meyer took the kick, hit it well but it was saved by Vacca. 

Lastly, with five seconds remaining, Joshua Maurer let one go from the 17 yard line and Vacca made an incredible leaping save to preserve the tie and end the game as the Yellow Jackets did not have enough time to get off a corner kick. 

The Bulldogs finished with a 20-13 shot advantage in the game and recorded more shot opportunities in both halves. 

Orry Killam finished with six saves and Riley Hensley led the team in shots with four including three on goal.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Baldwin Wallace at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field.