Tartans Tie 2-2 in Season Opener

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Senior Carmen Minella (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) brought the Carnegie Mellon University men's soccer team back from a two-goal deficit to salvage a tie in the season opener against Geneva College in the Radisson Invitational at Carnegie Mellon on Friday, September 2. Both teams are 0-0-1 on the season.

The Golden Tornadoes opened the scoring in the 27th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick. Jack McCracken lined up for the kick but his attempt was saved by junior goalkeeper Zach Stahl (East Brunswick, N.J.). The rebound came right back to McCracken who calmly settled it with his chest and put home the goal for the 1-0 lead.

Nearly five minutes later Geneva struck again. After earning several corner kicks, the visitors were able to make one count when Austin Petrie sent a ball to the far post near the 18-yard box. Jeremy Troutman headed it back in the direction it came to the corner post where it crossed the line as a Carnegie Mellon defender tried to head it away.

The score remained 2-0 at the half but the Tartans regrouped and tallied a score four minutes back from the break.

After a ball was served into the penalty box and settled down by sophomore Max Tassano (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Lower Merion), Minella let loose a shot that screamed past Geneva's keeper for the goal.

The Tartans continued to pressure the Golden Tornado defense with opportunities to tie the game. With 17 minutes to play, the Tartans earned a free kick right of the goal and about 20 yards back. Sophomore Tyler Rice (Palm Coast, Fla./Pendleton) served the ball to the center of the 18 where Minella ran onto it with a free header to knot the score at two.

Sophomore Chris Wysocki (Newtown, Pa./Germantown Academy) nearly brought the Tartans all the way back in the 83rd minute with a shot that knicked the inside of the post but came back in play. The follow-up shot by Tassano was saved by Geneva's Evan Biedenbach.

Overtime ensued where each team got off two shots in the first and one in the second. Stahl saved the game for the Tartans when he blocked a point-blank header by Jon Mathoslah after a corner kick to the far post by Petrie.

For the game, Stahl made three saves while Biedenbach made six. Geneva held the advantage in corner kicks with 10 to the Tartans' five.

The Radisson Invitational continues Saturday at 5:00 p.m. when Geneva takes on Otterbein, a game-one winner over St. Vincent 7-1. The Tartans face St. Vincent at 7:30 p.m. to close the tournament.