MARIETTA, Ga.— After a hard-fought contest, the men's soccer team finished level with the Life University Running Eagles at three goals apiece. With the tie, the Fire moved to 4-1-1 on the year.
Southeastern got on the board early, as the Fire were awarded a corner kick in the fourth minute. SEU made the most of the opportunity, with
Bruno Henrique serving a quality ball to the back post, which
James Paylor promptly squared to an awaiting
Craig Barker. Barker netted the ball off a volley to give the Fire a 1-0 advantage with his second goal of the season.
Goalie
Jorge Navarrete was standing on his head throughout the first half, facing 13 shots from Life. However, the Running Eagles were able to equalize on a shot that barely squeezed through Navarrete and crossed the goal line in the 40
th minute to head into the half tied at one. Navarrete ended the night with a season-high nine saves, the second-most in his career.
Jake Van Der Luit then continued his season's scoring prominence with a pair of second-half tallies. The senior from Chicago first converted on a penalty to give SEU a 2-1 lead in the 47
th minute before making it 3-1 just 17 minutes later.
Thierry Jules scored two goals in the final ten minutes for the Running Eagles to send the contest to overtime, but no one could break the deadlock through 30 minutes of extra time.
The Fire will now travel to West Palm Beach, Fla. to take on no. 23 Keiser to kick off conference play on September 19th. The match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
