CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University senior Harrison Sidell (Newhall, Calif.) flicked in a header past the outstretched arms of Mitchell College freshman goalie Seth Strader (Preston, Conn.) with just 1:57 left in regulation as the Lynx and the Mariners played to a 1-1 draw on Senior Night tonight on Edward Field.
Sidell's goal came on the heels of a free kick off the foot of freshman Tiago Pacheco (Cranston, R.I.) from midfield to even the score and force overtime. Each side had chances to end it in the overtime periods, including two Lesley shots that hit the post in the final 3:30 of play, but the sides would settle for a draw.
Prior to the match, the Lynx celebrated Senior Night and the careers of Chris Anderson (San Francisco, Calif.), Billy Baker (Sacramento, Calif.), Rob Carey (Montrose, N.Y.), Harrison Sidell (Newhall, Calif.), Colin Zeigler (Waldmohr, Germany), and Wilton Zuo (Dorchester, Mass.) for all their accomplishments and dedication to the Lesley Athletics program. Together, this group experienced great success on the field as they have qualified for a pair of ECAC Tournaments and made the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament in each of their seasons.
After a back-and-forth first half of play, Mitchell would stake a 1-0 lead in the 74th minute of play when sophomore Andris Vital (Norwich, Conn.) beat Lesley keeper James Webb (San Francisco, Calif.). Vital beat the Lesley backline with some nifty maneuvering and drilled a right-footed shot into the right side of the net for his third tally of the season.
The Mariners nearly added an insurance marker nine minutes later when senior Cody Poirier (Bozrah, Conn.) sent a shot from the right side of the box, but a charging Webb forced his attempt wide to keep the deficit at one.
After Pacheco and Sidell would connect to even the match at 1-1, the Lynx had two chances in the final minute of play to pot the go-ahead goa, but both attempts by junior Angel Ruiz (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Sidell were gobbled up by Strader.
Mitchell's best opportunity of the two overtime periods came just 28-seconds in off a turnover on the Lesley backline. Mariner freshman Christian Urena (Griswold, Conn.) gathered the loose ball and fired a laser at the Lesley cage, but it sailed high over the bar.
The Lynx would counter in the 93rd minute with a right-footed drive from ten yards out off the foot of junior Anthony Vitta (Oceanside, N.Y.), but Strader made a phenomenal save diving to his right and knocking the ball out of bounds. The Mariners defense would clear the ensuing corner kick.
The Lesley offense continued to press on in the second overtime period and saw to golden chances clang off the post. Sidell settled a pass from Ruiz and chipped a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that floated past Strader and off the lower right side of the post before a Ruiz drive with 42-seconds left on the clock ricocheted off the post to settle for the tie.
Both keepers were outstanding for their respective teams as Webb was credited with four stops while Strader turned away six for the Mariners.
Mitchell held a slim 18-17 advantage in total shots attempts on the evening and kept a 10-7 edge on opportunities from the corner.
Both sides will wrap up their regular season with conference play on Saturday. The Lynx will travel to Southern Vermont College for a 2:30p kickoff while the Mariners will play host to Daniel Webster College.