GRAND JUNCTION, Colo- In their maiden Sunday matinee, the Colorado Mesa University men's soccer team battled with the #13 ranked CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves to a 1-1 draw. Both teams remain undefeated in conference play but the Thunderwolves earned their first draw of the season while Mavs got their fifth.
The Thunderwolves started the game off aggressive as they fired four shots in the first 20 minutes of the game. However all of them were handled by the defense and
Nathan Beck, who saved two of those shots. The 22nd minute saw another shot from the Thunderwolves but it was once again saved by Beck.
The first shot for the Mavs did not come until the 24th minute when
Connor Chilson tried to score off a header but it sailed over the crossbar.
James Maxwell got a chance on goal a couple minutes later but it was blocked the defense. There was not another shot in the contest until the 30th minute, but certainly amounted to something for the Mavs.
The Mavs intercepted an errant pass by the Thunderwolves goalkeeper, where
Richie Tabares Ochoa showed off his speed as he burst through the defense. He flicked the ball into the right side of the penalty box where
Edoardo Oliveri controlled it off his chest and finished with his left foot, advantage Mavs.
However, shots continued to fly for the Thunderwolves as they fired three more seven minutes after the Mavs goal. Two of those chances were blocked by the defense and the other was saved by Beck. Just before the 40th minute, Maxwell and
Mateo Cordell had back-to-back shots that were both blocked by the Thunderwolves defense.
The Thunderwolves had two more shots before the break but both were too powerful as the Mavs went into halftime up 1-0.
The second half started in the Mavs favor as four minutes in, Tabares Ochoa tried to add a goal to his day but his attempt was saved by the goalkeeper.
Afonso Taborda also got in on the action with a shot of his own but it came up empty. Beck stayed busy as he fended off another shot by the Thunderwolves in the 53rd minute.
The Thunderwolves continued to pile on the shots as they had three more attempts stopped by the sturdy Mavs defense. Beck made another crucial save in the 63rd minute to keep the pesky Thunderwolves scoreless. Two minutes later, the Mavs had a chance to extend their lead off a corner kick,
Daniel Ehler got a header off but it was saved once again by the goalkeeper.
Both goalkeepers remained busy as Beck saved two more shots and the Thunderwolves thwarted
Matheo Ledesma's attempt. Then, the Thunderwolves got a golden opportunity to level the game in the 69th minute when a clumsy foul in the box awarded them a penalty. Beck wasn't able to make the save as the Thunderwolves converted their penalty shot.
The Thunderwolves continued to be persistent as they got another good shot off that was once again saved by Beck. However, they're determination got them in foul trouble as they were awarded three yellow cards in the span of 90 seconds. The Mavs were able to counter and Tabares Ochoa got another great look but it was saved by the goalkeeper.
The Thunderwolves proceeded to go all-in as they fired seven shots in the last ten minutes of play to try and find the winner. Nevertheless, all of those chances came up short. The Mavs also had one final opportunity to win it as
Stefanos Christodoulakis found the ball at his feet in the dying minutes, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper as the game ended in a thrilling 1-1 draw.
The Thunderwolves were relentless on offense, firing 29 shots compared to the Mavs' 14. Despite that, the defense held strong and only allowed the one goal on the day. Maxwell led the team with three shots, Oliveri scored his fourth goal of the season while Tabares Ochoa racked up his third assist. Beck had a career day in net, making a career-high nine saves to keep the Thunderwolves off the board more than once.
The Mavs continue RMAC play as they travel to Alamosa to take on Adams State on Oct. 2. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at ASU Soccer Field.
