ELON, N.C. - Longwood men's soccer twice rallied from a goal deficit on the way to a 2-2 draw at Elon on Tuesday night.
Sophomore
Youssef Shafei and freshman
Levon Saribekyan each tallied goals, while junior
Brando Bedolla and freshman
Vicent Martinez picked up assists on both markers. Longwood (6-6-1) drew an Elon squad that entered the match ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region. The Phoenix, which sit it second in the Coastal Athletic Association South Division, continued its 10-game unbeaten streak, while Longwood improved to 2-0-1 against the CAA on the road this season.
Elon (8-2-4) jumped out to an early lead just eight minutes into the contest. A series of headers ended with Dominik Renz popping a shot over the top of Longwood goalkeeper
Nicolas Pucci for a 1-0 lead.
Longwood answered back with a counterattack goal and a beautiful finish from Shafei in the 23rd minute. Senior
Pau Garcia started the play, creating a turnover in the defensive half and feeding down the right flank to Martinez. He centered a pass to Bedolla, who drew the defense and found Shafei on a well-timed run. The sophomore forward finished inside the right post from just outside the penalty spot for his fourth goal of the season and third against CAA competition.
The home team took a 2-1 lead to the intermission. Magnus Jacobsen scored on a breakaway in the 34th minute to put the Phoenix back in front. Just two minutes before halftime, Elon put the ball in the back of the net for what appeared to be their third goal of the game. The tally was waved off due to an Elon handball prior to the score.
Just seven minutes into the second half, Saribekyan made a nice run on the counterattack and eventually scored the equalizer. He broke free off a deflection from
Steven Rivas, and as he neared the box laid the ball off to Martinez. Saribekyan continued his run to the front of the net and redirected a shot turned pass from Bedolla past Elon goalkeeper Drew Hartman, who entered the game with a GAA of only 0.67, having allowed just six goals in nine matches.
The goal was Saribekyan's team-leading sixth of the season. Bedolla tallied his second assist of the night and national-leading 11th of the season. It also marks Bedolla's fifth multi-assists game of the season. The assists on the night were the first of Martinez's career.
Pucci came up with a big save in the 66th minute to keep the game even at two. Tønnes Daland had space on the left side of the penalty, but the Lancer goalkeeper made a diving save to push the shot to the near post wide of the frame. Pucci finished the game with three saves.
Quotable
"Tonight was all about the culture of our program. We have dealt with so much adversity over the last couple of weeks. To go on the road and come back twice against a top opponent like Elon to earn a draw is special.
We had guys who haven't seen the field much step up and play big minutes. It is a testament to them and the growth of our program. Our fans and alumni should be very proud of the relentless effort we displayed tonight. We are excited to get back to campus, recover, and get ready for Big South play this weekend." - Head Coach
Paul Gilbert
Scoring Summary
8' | Elon – Dominik Renz (Ben Madore/Tonnes Daland)
23' | Longwood –
Youssef Shafei (
Brando Bedolla/
Vicent Martinez)
34' | Elon – Magnus Jacobsen (Renz/Madore)
52' | Longwood –
Levon Saribekyan (Bedolla/Martinez)
Up Next
The Lancers return to action when they travel to Winthrop on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
