SAINT PETER, Minn. — The Gusties, in just their second game of the season, had a tall task at hand facing the University of Chicago Maroons Sunday morning. After all, the Maroons, ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches' pre-season poll, knocked the No. 8 Gusties out of NCAA Tournament play last season, going on to win the national championship shortly after.
The Gusties had a score to settle, though, battling the defending champs to a hard-fought 2-2 tie in Saint Peter.
The Gusties opened the scoring early, as first-year
Simon Woods picked up right where he left off, getting his second goal in as many games. Thanks to a strong defensive battle from
Sam Just (Lakeville, Minn.),
Owen Johnson (Apple Valley, Minn.) set up Woods with a ball through the middle of the field. Woods beat three defenders and sent the ball into the lower left corner to give the Gusties an early 1-0 lead.
Chicago responded with a similar goal 20 minutes later, deadlocking the score at 1-1 at the half.
The Maroons built off their first-half momentum, as one of their 13 shots on the day managed to get past Gustie keeper
Wesley Sanders (Urbandale, Iowa). With their foot on the gas, Chicago pressured Gustavus with three shots and two corner kicks in a matter of minutes, seemingly squashing the Gusties' offensive hopes.
Enter
Raphael Cattelin (Edina, Minn.).
Cattelin was knocking on the door of Chicago goalkeeper Will Boyles all game, totaling a team-leading four shots on the day. Thanks to a picturesque ball from first-year
Joe Morri (Fridley, Minn.), Cattelin tipped a header just out of reach of Boyles into the top left corner to even the score 2-2.
The goal reignited the Gustie offense, who totaled seven more chances in the game's final 20 minutes, including a near miss on a pass from Cattelin to Woods that would have called the game for the Gusties.
"It's a bit of a mixed and odd feeling," said Gustie Head Coach Tudor Flintham on the game's result. "A 2-2 tie at the start of the season against the defending national champions is a result we'll take, but based on the way we played in the last ten minutes of the game, we feel we should have taken more.
"Chicago is fantastic all around - great team, great coaching staff. 2-2 is probably the right result - we feel we could have been up 2-0 or down 3-1. We need to do better with some details - our ball tracking wasn't where it should be and we need to win the boxes - and those are non-negotiables for our program. But overall, it's a good barometer and we know there's a lot more we can add to our game and improve upon."
Sanders made a number of key stops to back up the Gustie defense, saving 11 of 13 shots on the day - a new career high.
Otis Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) led the Gusties in shots on goal, hitting the mark on 3-of-3, while Woods added two of his own.
"Wes Sanders had a 19-minute period where he reminded everyone that he's the best keeper in the country. Raphael being fit and firing at the start of the season for the first time in a while should concern a lot of teams, and
Simon Woods just knows where the goal is. He's had six goals as a freshmen in our first two exhibitions and regular season games - he's making a statement. As always, unity and team sacrifice is what sets us apart, but some big players are stepping up for us to start the season."
The Gusties, now 1-0-1, will head to Iowa next weekend to face Loras College and University of Dubuque.
