Pilots Can’t Hold Lead Late in Heartbreak to Marian
Mishawaka, Ind. – The Bethel men’s soccer team gave up two goals in the final five minutes of regulation to drop a heartbreaking affair to Marian in Crossroads League action. The Pilots fall to 7-3-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the Crossroads League.
Neither team could get much offense going in the first half as the teams headed into intermission deadlocked at 0-0. The Pilots outshot the Knights 5-4 in the first period.
The Pilots turned up the heat in the second half, putting eight shots on the Marian defense in the first nine minutes of play in the second half but could not break through. Then in the 63rd minute, Pedro Patino was sent off with a red card in the stoppage after a Marian foul—giving the Knights a one-man advantage for the final 27 minutes. On the ensuing attack for the Pilots, Finn Luben took the ball up the left side and played it into the box in front of the goal and Bruno Jaeger squirted it past the Marian keeper for a 1-0 lead.
The Pilots defense did all it could to keep the Knight offense at bay from that point on, without allowing a shot until the final five minutes of action. After a Jaeger yellow card, Marian’s Igor Ferraria put the ball in the back of the net in the 86th minute to knot the score at 1-1. The Knights kept the ball in the offensive end and were rewarded in the final minute. With 37 seconds remaining, Ferraria netted the game-winner and broke the hearts of the Pilots.
Philip Keller made five saves on the afternoon, while the Pilots put 9 shots on goal on the offensive end.
The Pilots return to the pitch on Wednesday when they welcome in Taylor to Morey Field for a 7:00 pm kick-off.