Box Score
CHESTER, PA - If games were simply won and lost on opportunities alone, Widener University would have been in cruise control in what would have been their second win of the season Wednesday.
But a diciplined defensive effort tagged with an overall determined, gritty effort helped the Crimson Eagle men's soccer team avoid their fourth straight loss to the Pioneers in as many years.
"Overall it was just a pretty sloppy game for both teams," head coach Clay Roberts commented following the 0-0 draw. "Neither team did a great job controlling possession, but I guess that's what you can expect playing on turf in the rain."
It's also hard to possess anything when there's 38 fouls sprinkled throughout.
In what could have probably been understandably confused as a football match by the time all was said and done, Widener ended the contest hammered with 22 penalties for the game while PBU wasn't far behind, collecting 16.
"Yeah, it got pretty physical," Roberts confessed. "But the good thing was I thought we held our composure. Our defense stayed disciplined when we needed them to, which feels good because that's been something we've been specifically working on."
The bend-but-not break mentality served PBU well as Widener would hold significant advantages in total shots (27-11) and corners (13-5) for the game. But the visitor's back line managed clamp down when needed and - coupled with several big-time stops from keeper Andy Ecker - came through in the clutch.
PBU's best opportunity came with five minutes left in the second overtime when Jeremy Dunham broke free behind the back line. A foul from behind on Widener led to a red card for the Pioneers and a Dunham free-kick that barely sailed high over the crossbar.
"Overall I thought we managed the game well," said Roberts. "This is an extremely good Widener team and hopefully this will serve as a good stepping stone for us."
The Crimson Eagles move to 1-1-1 on the season.
The soccer team will get back into action this Saturday when the group hosts Wells College at 2:00 pm.
