DURHAM, N.C. - No. 12 Saint Louis and North Carolina State played to a 1-1 draw this evening in the opening game of the Duke/adidas Soccer Classic at Koskinen Stadium. Junior midfielder Kyle Patterson scored in the second half to deliver the Billikens' second draw in as many games.
"Not to discredit North Carolina State, but we played a sloppy game that was uncharacteristic of this program," Billiken head coach Dan Donigan said. "The play in the first half was especially sloppy, and while we improved in the second half, we were still disappointed as we have higher expectations with this team. We have to turn it around quickly, as it does not get any easier on Sunday against Duke."
For the second game in a row, Saint Louis (0-0-2) was involved in a match that featured a scoreless first half with an eventful second. Neither team managed to muster much offense in the early going, but chances were aplenty after the break.
The Wolfpack (2-0-1) struck first in the 53rd minute when Daniel Fish tallied an unassisted goal to put NC State on top 1-0. On the play, SLU keeper Pat Disbennett collided with a Wolfpack attacker, sending him to the ground and knocking him out of the contest. He was sent to the hospital and is expected to be out indefinitely.
"There was no blame on any player - both went for the ball and collided," Donigan said. "It's unfortunate to see for Pat, but he has bounced back from injuries before so hopefully this will be no different. It was a class act by North Carolina State's coach and player involved, as both visited Pat in the hospital following the match."
Sophomore Ross Kaufman subbed in for Disbennett, and a resilient Billiken attack responded with a myriad of chances over the next several minutes, including a pair of shots by midfielder Brian Grazier and shots from Patterson and forward Brandon Barklage that were stoned by Wolfpack keeper Christopher Widman.
The Billikens' presence in the offensive third paid off in the 70th minute, when Patterson found himself on the end of a Rob Viviano serve and headed one past Widman for the game-tying goal. The assist marked Viviano's first career point, while Patterson's tally was the eighth of his career.
With under two minutes left, the Bills generated several chances and nearly ended it in regulation. Viviano fired a shot that was stopped by Widman. Less than a minute later, Patterson and Scott Wisniewski put back-to-back shots on Widman who stood tall to preserve the tie and send the game into overtime.
In the first extra session, Kaufman stoned several NC State opportunities, and Barklage and junior midfielder Eric Sweetin both had shots that were kicked aside by Widman in the second OT.
Overall, SLU out-shot NC State 25-15 and held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. Kaufman made six saves in the reserve role, while Widman made a career-high 11 stops for the Wolfpack.
SLU is back in action on Sunday when it faces No. 2 Duke at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Fans wishing to view the match on-line can do so by visiting http://www.accselect.com. The cost is $4.99.
