REGIS AND LESLEY PLAY TO 1-1 DRAW

WESTON, Mass. – Regis College and Lesley University played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference men's soccer action in Weston, Mass. It is the second draw of the year for both squads as Regis moves to 2-6-2, while the Lynx go to 5-3-2.

The first 15 minutes of action was a back and forth battle for field position as neither team got a shot on goal. Lesley finally broke through in the 32nd minute as Ryan Richardson (Santa Barbara, Calif.) dribbled through the Pride defense and fired a rising line drive from 35 yards out that found the back of the net and put the Lynx on top, 1-0.

Nick Tavares (Bellingham, Mass.) took the first shot of the day for the Pride in the 33rd minute, but Nathan Trucks (Guilford, Conn.) was there for the stop. Both offenses stalled over the final 12 minutes of the period as neither team had many scoring chances.

That all changed in the second half as Regis knotted the game at 1-1 on Marek Kotecki's (Milton, Mass.) third goal of the season just over a minute into the period. After the Pride were awarded a throw-in on the near sideline, Alex Caliendo (Windsor, Conn.) tossed the ball all the way to the back post, where it found Kotecki's foot and the back of the net for the equalizer.

Regis goalkeeper Stefan Todorovic (Los Angeles, Calif.) made sure it stayed a 1-1 game as the senior made five saves in the second stanza. In the 78th minute, Todorovic fought through traffic in front to block down a rocket from Erik Johansen (West Harrison, N.Y.) and the Pride defense kept Lesley off the scoreboard over the last 11-plus minutes to force the game into overtime.

There would only be one shot taken in the extra frame as Renato Rosas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a shot blocked in front of the net, and the game would need a second OT. Regis took all four shots in the extra frame and had a pair of chances to win the game when Christian Mukala (Malden, Mass.) received another great throw in from Caliendo, but Trucks was there to make the save on a header. With less than a minute to play, Nana Kwarteng (Milford, Mass.) was able to get his head on a crossing pass, but the ball sailed high of its mark as time expired and the game ended in a 0-0 tie.

Lesley outshot the Pride at a 12-9 clip, while the Pride held a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks. Nathan Trucks made two saves on the day, while his counterpart Todorovic made five saves.

Regis steps out of NECC play on Wednesday night when they host Suffolk University in a 7:00 p.m. contest. Lesley also plays a non-league game on Wednesday night, taking on the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Mass. at 7:00 p.m.