CASTLETON, Vt. – The Norwich University men's soccer team battled Vermont State Castleton for 90 minutes, but the Spartans found a late equalizer to force a 1-1 draw at Dave Wolk Stadium under the lights.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net during a competitive opening 45 minutes. Norwich generated four shots in the first half and put three on target, while goalkeeper Austin Borberg (Bellevue, Wash.) made a pair of saves to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard.
Norwich continued to apply pressure coming out of halftime, earning back-to-back corner kicks in the opening three minutes of the second period. The Cadets then nearly broke through as Nate More (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Diego Fuentes (Valencia, Spain) each tested Vermont State Castleton goalkeeper Xander Berthiaume, who took care of both attempts.
The pressure finally paid off just about 15 minutes into the second half.
After Norwich continued to push into the attacking third, Shea Perkins (Carl Junction, Mo) delivered the game's opening goal in the 56th minute. Miles Bergeson (Charlotte, Vt.) provided the assist from an over the top ball , setting up Perkins in and behind the back line for his first goal of the season and to give the Cadets a 1-0 advantage.
Norwich maintained its one-goal advantage through the majority of the second half. Perkins continued to be a threat in the attacking third, while Brian Baek (Fairfax, Va.) and Ben Rubinstein (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) each fired a shot on target in the final seven minutes that were saved by Berthiaume.
Defensively, the Cadets limited the Spartans to just four second-half opportunities and three shots on goal through the entire contest. Borberg and the Norwich backline remained disciplined and structured from the first whistle.
With Norwich seemingly headed toward its second victory of the young season, Castleton earned a corner kick with less than 20 seconds remaining. The Spartans converted the opportunity in the final seconds off a header in the dying moments.
The Cadets finished the night with a 10-7 advantage in total shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on goal, controlling the bulk of the momentum of the match. Despite the late equalizer, Norwich's unbeaten start continues as the Cadets take a point from their first road contest of the season.
The Cadets will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 9th, back at home on Sabine Field against the Plattsburgh State Cardinals at 7:00 p.m.
