A topsy-turvy contest ended the same way it began – with both teams deadlocked.
Each team held one-goal leads, and Yannis Becker’s hat-trick goal in the final minutes helped the Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team leave Austin, Texas, with a 3-3 tie after two overtimes against St. Edward’s on Sunday.
FLC finished the daunting early-season road trip to Texas with a 3-1 victory over No. 22 Midwestern State and the draw with St. Edward’s, and the Skyhawks will return home Thursday to face Mary with a 1-0-1 record.
“I think you have to be (happy with the start),” FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said. “We’ve beaten Midwestern at home, the first time they’ve been beaten at home since 2008. ... I’m proud of how we came back to tie it up. That game last year we probably let sneak away from us.”
Fort Lewis had chances to come away with a victory. Becker scored in the 14th minute for a 1-0 lead before Jason Aiken answered to even the score just before halftime. Becker tallied again in the 64th minute, only to have St. Edward’s answer with a pair of goals to take the lead, the last coming in the 81st minute.
“We’ve got to make sure we don’t allow teams to be in the game like that,” Kennedy said.
Becker responeded in the 89th minute with a header goal off a Jordan Alexander cross to pull even before both teams failed to score in two overtimes.
“I think he showed his qualities last year with eight goals, and he’s only going to get more this year playing with a stronger team,” Kennedy said of Becker.
Thursday’s Fort Lewis home opener against Mary is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Dirks Field.
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