DAYTON, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team battled High Point to a 1-1 draw. Cian McDonald's goal was not enough to lift the Norse past the Panthers.
 
The Norse began the game in strong fashion with the offense fully in sync. Caleb Eastham and Kobie Qualah were causing all kinds of issues for the High Point defenders. The duo each registered a shot on target in the first half but they were unable to get on the score sheet.
 
All the work the Norse were putting in would get rewarded in the 12th-minute. Senior Cian McDonald drew a foul just outside of the penalty area and stepped up to take the free-kick from 22-yards out. He struck the ball over the defensive wall and into the bottom left corner of the goal, giving Panther goalkeeper Kody Palmer no chance to make the save.
 
"I saw that the keeper was on one side of the goal and the wall wasn't fully covering the other," said Cian McDonald. "I could hit it to the goalkeeper side and trick him or put it low away. I drove it low and to my luck it went in. It was a bit of a change for us because it was the first time of the season we took the lead during a game. It was going to be a bit of an uphill battle after that."
 
High Point was up to the challenge and responded just before the half ended. The Norse turned the ball over in the midfield and the Panthers broke into the attack led by Ebe Kudolo. Kudolo played the ball forward to Ryan Avery who sent in a low cross to Mamadee Nyepon. Nyepon directed the ball low and away from A.J. Fleak, tying the game at one goal a piece in the 34th-minute. The half ended with neither side with an advantage.
 
"We played very well in the first half," said head coach John Basalya. "Anytime you get the first goal, the other team has to chase the game a little bit. To their credit they came back and tied it up on a very nice counter attack."
 
The second half began and the Panthers looked to be finding their feet. They dominated the possession, outshooting the Norse 13-2 in the second half. Norse goalkeeper A.J. Fleak made five saves in the second half and would go on to tie his career best with nine saves in the game.
 
"High Point came out flying in the second half," said Basalyga. "Two years ago that team smacked us 6-0 because they send a lot of people forward. They get people on the attack and if you don't track them, you are in for a long night. Our guys played with a lot of guts. It was two different teams between how we played Friday and today."
 
The Norse had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 55th-minute when Diego Martinez drew a penalty. Alwin Komolong stepped up to take the spot kick for the Norse but he pushed the shot wide of the target. It was the best chance at goal the Norse would get for the rest of the match.
 
The Norse were able to survive the Panther onslaught to force overtime. It was the third time in three games NKU would play extra time. High Point outshot the Norse 6-0 in overtime but neither side was able to find a golden goal.  Two years ago, NKU fell to High Point 6-0 but this year the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
 
"I knew going into the game that they were going to remember the last time they played us," said McDonald. "We had a bit of a chip on our shoulder and we took advantage of that. We knew we had more to play for than they did. We performed well, didn't win, but deserved the tie."
 
"It was a huge improvement from 2012," said Basalyga. "We told our guys that this game would measure how far we have come in two years. When you play a team that quick and offensively strong, you walk away pretty satisfied with a tie. I've not seen a team commit the numbers forward with such speed as they do. They are a fun team to watch."
 
The Norse moved to 1-0-2 on the season, having gone 1-0-1 in the Dayton Flyer Classic. Caleb Eastham, Cian McDonald, and Alwin Komolong were all named to the all-tournament team.
 
The Norse will return to action on Friday Sept. 12 in Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the BGSU Falcons at 7p.m. For updates on the team throughout the season, follow NKUNorseMSOC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
 

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