GREENVILLE, TN – The Catawba Men's Soccer team continued their undefeated start in conference play and extended their overall unbeaten streak to seven games, however they were held goalless for the first time this season in a contested 0-0 draw with Tusculum on the road at Pioneer Field.
Catawba (6-1-1) was pushed to the brink by a Tusculum side (0-5-2) that came out hungry for their first win over the season and were attempting to make a major statement in South Atlantic Conference play. The Pioneers were excellent offensively, outshooting Catawba 18-8 and enjoying the majority of possession. However, both sides failed to capitalize on their opportunities in the end as they were forced to settle with a draw.
Goalkeepers Zack Stiffler for Catawba and Bruno De Freitas for Tusculum were key in keeping the game scoreless; Stiffler put in another outstanding shift, claiming his third straight clean sheet with eight saves as De Freitas answered with three of his own. Catawba's defense had their hands full with Tusculum's Luis De La Fuente and Cristobal Morales, who combined for five shots on goal. Catawba had three players each put a shot on target.
But the real story of the game was the constant presence of the whistle; there were a total of 29 fouls over the course of the match, with Tusculum whistled 19 times. Four players drew yellow cards for Catawba, while three Pioneers drew yellows and midfielder Adam O'Sullivan drew a straight red for a crunching tackle on Sebastia Cerda-Tous while he was the last defender, denying him a scoring opportunity.
That was arguably Catawba's best chance of the night, with Tusculum's coming just a few minutes earlier as Stiffler spilled a shot my Morales straight to De La Fuente, but managed to save the ensuing second effort.
Catawba will be back in action at home on Wednesday, September 28th at 5:00 PM as Coker visits the Frock Soccer Complex.
