SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College men's soccer team saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the final minutes as Montevallo stormed back to force a 3-3 draw in the programs' first match of 2024.
TEAM STATS
- The squads had comparable shooting totals with Catawba (0-0-1) having a slight 7-6 edge in on-target deliveries and 19-18 advantage overall
- Despite surrendering two goals in the opening 45, Montevallo (0-0-1) led the saves tally with four denials that all occurred in the second half. Each side had a defender step up to make a team save
- The Catawba Indians had a firm lead in corner kicks, taking eight (six in the second half alone) against five for the Falcons
- Montevallo committed 10 fouls compared to Catawba's 15, but the Falcons' whistles were more severe. The visitors were shown three cards, two yellows and a red, while Catawba recorded just one yellow
- Catawba went deep into its reserves, getting 12 substitutes in the contest versus the Falcons' four players that came in off the bench
- Six newcomers made their Catawba debuts including freshman Greg Chatzopoulos who saw 59 minutes of action
- The navy and white won the possession battle as Catawba had control of the ball for 66 percent of the match
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Salano Birch gave Catawba its first score of 2024 as Sebastia Cerda-Tous found paydirt twice for his third career brace
- Junior defender Jacopo Suagher played the full 90 minutes, the only Catawba player to do so
- The hosts' lone assist was awarded to Tomas Noya, marking the first point of his Catawba career
- Zak Stiffler made two stops in his 67 minutes between the posts with just one goal allowed
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Catawba Indians fired on the Falcon net early and often, knocking to no avail until Birch connected with a right-footer in the 22nd minute
- A mere 71 seconds later, Cerda-Tous corralled a blocked Bautista Vecchi-Ramello shot, made a move, and slipped a boot outside the keeper's reach to extend the gap
- After being held shotless for 26 minutes, Montevallo began to find footing on offense but Stiffler gobbled up both on-goal attempts
Second Half
- Cerda-Tous had Catawba's first shot of the second stanza, a blocked dart that forced a corner kick. Following a save by Falcon goalie Tomas Valles, Catawba's Tomas – last name Noya – scooted a lengthy pass to Cerda-Tous' foot as the Mallorca, Spain product tucked his second goal inside the left post
- Montevallo found an increase in chances with more lineup turnover on the Catawba side, but the hosts remained sturdy with four blocks in the ensuing minutes. However, the Falcons eventually broke through as Mark Shoebridge collected his own rebound to prevent a shutout
- Valles weathered a fierce storm of shots off five Catawba corners as the Falcons' situation became worse with Alex Errasti being shown his second yellow in the 86th minute, putting Montevallo down a man.
- Moments later, August Joensson was carded to give Montevallo possession deep into its offense. Cristobal Porter's free kick deflected off the crossbar but Sebastian Flores gathered and found twine to slim the deficit to 3-2
- An offside penalty to Catawba in the final minute gave Montevallo a slim window of opportunity. With 27 ticks left, Jens Krieger connected with Seth Acton to level the score and finalize a season-opening draw
UP NEXT
- Catawba battles USC Aiken at Frock Field in the final men's game of opening weekend on Saturday, Sep. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
