A competitive back-and-forth affair on Friday couldn’t result in a win for either Colorado Mesa University or Regis University as the game ended in a deadlocked 2-2 draw after 110 minutes of fast-paced play.
The Mavericks came into the contest on a roll, winners of six straight and an unbeaten record. The Rangers were close to delivering CMU’s first loss on the year, but the Mavericks big strikers kept the team in the game.
Kevin Del Mazo opened up the scoring in the 24th minute of the match. CMU was awarded a penalty kick after RU’s Ryan Ebert earned a yellow card. Del Mazo had no problem scoring his sixth goal of the year, placing it past goalie Chase Webert to nab a 1-0 lead.
The Rangers had an answer in the 38th minute and were placing pressure on Briley Guarneri. Freddie Swales almost scored for Regis on a header, but found even better placement a minute later, sending a line shot to Kristian Hooker who scored and tied the game 1-1.
Both teams played similarly in the first-half. CMU kicked 6 shots while RU had 5. The Mavericks were more aggressive with their corner kicks, foreshadowing their second-half play.
Junior Lawan Abary nearly made it a 2-1 game for CMU but his header shot was wide right. After a few more quick shots by the Mavericks, the Rangers finally capitalized and took the lead. Parker Klein used a header to score on a well placed pass from the corner.
Time was running out for the Mavericks. With only three minutes left to play, Abary made sure to make it three straight comebacks for CMU. Dan Bricker sent a cross to Abary who then adjusted his body to get past Webert and secure the 2-2 tie.
Guarneri had one of his biggest saves on the season in the first overtime. Josh Burnett sent a header shot for the Rangers that the senior quickly reacted to, eliciting cheers from his teammates for the game-saving play.
The Mavericks had 22 shots (six on goal). Guarneri had two saves after securing zero the previous game.
Del Mazo finished with a score on six shots and Abary kicked three shots with one goal.
The match marks the third draw for CMU this season as they move to 8-0-3 and 6-0-2 in conference play. The Mavericks will look to get back into the win column this Friday at 7 p.m. on Walker Field against Dixie State University.
