Wingate, N.C.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs played a man down for the final 61 minutes of regulation, plus 20 overtime minutes Wednesday night, playing to a 0-0 draw against visiting Catawba College in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action. Wingate moves to 10-3-1 overall and 7-0-1 in the SAC, while the Indians are now 1-9-2 overall and 1-5-2 in league play.
Each team took five shots in the first half, with the Bulldogs collecting the only two shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes. Wingate senior midfielder
Mateo Correa (Medellin, Colombia) was given a red card in the 30th minute and the 'Dogs played a man down the remainder of the contest. Junior
Nate Evans (Greenville, N.C.) and sophomore
Elliot Cutts (London, England) registered shots on goal in the 22nd and 23rd minutes, but both were stopped by
Joe Gonzalez of Catawba.
Catawba had a chance two minutes into the second half, but a shot from
Sam Hennebert was deflected by
Pablo Jara (Santiago, Chile) at the top of the box, then cleared away by the Wingate defense at the goal line to keep the Indians off the board. Jara stopped a pair of shots from
Tom Singhgolden in the next four minutes to keep the match 0-0.
Senior All-American
Jon Ander (Bilbao, Spain) ripped a free kick off the crossbar in the 57th minute. A pair of Ander's shots in the box in the 87th minute were deflected by Catawba defenders, sending the match to overtime.
Ander had another close call midway through the first overtime, ripping another free kick from just outside the box off the crossbar. The senior had another free kick in the final second of the period, but Gonzalez made a fantastic leaping save, punching the ball over the crossbar as time expired.
Sophomore defender
Rob Tomlin (Aylesbury, England) had a chance from the middle of the box midway through the second overtime, but Gonzalez was there once again for the save. Evans got a shot on frame in the 108th minute, but Gonzalez turned that one away as well.
Wingate ended the night with a 19-9 advantage in shots, holding a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, while adding a pair of shots off the crossbar. Ander took a match-high nine shots, hitting the crossbar twice. The contest featured 45 fouls and 10 cards. Jara had three saves for the Bulldogs, while Gonzalez collected five saves for the Indians.
The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne at 7:30 p.m. on Senior Night. Wingate's nine seniors will be honored during halftime of the women's game, a contest slated to kickoff at 5 p.m.
