Falcon Men’s Soccer Battles Back, Plays to 2-2 Draw at Saint Mary’s

Team	1	2	Final F
Air Force	0	2	2
Saint Mary's (CA)	2	0	2

Air Force

Saint Mary's (CA)

MORAGA, Calif. – Air Force played with tenacity and determination to overcome a two-goal deficit, playing talented Saint Mary's team to a draw at two at Saint Mary's Stadium. The Falcons, scoring a season best two goals, are now 0-1-3 while the Gaels are now 1-4-1.

SMC was the first to strike in the 33^rd minute as Luke Schaefer notched his second goal of the season in an unassisted attack. The situation became more dire for the Falcons as the Gaels' Alex Bandrauk added the second goal via touches from Cameron Kobey and Ryan Firestone.

At the halftime whistle, SMC was outshooting Air Force, 10-7. It was the third straight match the Falcons entered the locker room trailing.

Determined to change the tune of game, the Falcons continued to fight for possessions and scoring opportunities. The first goal originated from free kick where C4C Xidane Espinoza chipped a deflected shot to Doran Farrell who headed off crossbar which deflected to Logan Zaa who had his header blocked to freshman teammate Hector Orozco who finished low center for his first collegiate goal.

With momentum building the Falcons continued to press the attack in search of an equalizer. With another free kick opportunity in the 79^th minute, Menes Ajyeman lined up and took a shot that was deflected by an SMC defender into the possession of C3C team captain Tucker Kern who capitalized with a rocket to the right side of the frame from 22 yards out.

The goal marked Kern's second of the season while the Falcons now have three goals on the campaign; all of which originating from set pieces.

SMC, feeling the win slip away, pushed the pace and attempted four shots in the final 10 minutes, two of which were blocked by Falcon defenders. At the expiration of regulation, freshman keeper Hunter Anderson walked off the pitch with four saves to his credit. Farrell and team captain Andrei Bulankou anchored the defense with 90 minutes of action while Paxton Seghi also clocked full time.

Air Force, now averaging 11.2 shots per game, took 13 shots on the match. Oliver Becker, Attila Toth, Ajyeman, and Orozco attempted two shots each. The Falcons' only two shots on target yielded goals.

Up next, the Falcons return home for a three-match stint against UC Riverside (Sept. 11), UTRGV (Sept. 18), and Mountain West Conference opener against Utah Tech (Sept. 26). Action against Riverside is slated for 6 pm MT at Cadet Soccer Stadium.

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