LAKE WALES, Fla.— The Fire fought hard for 110 minutes on the road to escape with a 1-1 draw against Warner University.
Physical play was rampant early in the match as the two Polk County rivals battled for the upper hand. A total of eight fouls were committed in the first 15 minutes, before any shots were taken.
The first threats were back-to-back shots on goal by
Tauan Salgado in the 20
th minute that were guided away by Royals goalkeeper Miguel Ardilla, who registered a career-high ten saves on the night.
Just before the half expired
Grayson Wilkes sent a ball to
Tyler Gay, who touched it past Ardilla and into the net to open the scoring. This marked Gay's first goal of the season and his sixth goal as a member of the Fire.
Southeastern went into the half with a 1-0 advantage over Warner.
The Royals put the pressure on Southeastern's defense, but the Fire back line wouldn't break. As Warner got desperate for an equalizing tally, shots flew left and right of
Jorge Navarrete but nothing troubled the keeper until the second half. Warned earned a penalty in the 60
th minute, but the attempt by Daniel Rodriguez was shut down by an outstretched Navarrete, who recorded six saves in the competition.
In the second 45 minutes, Warner outshot the Fire 12-9, and finally broke through in the 77
th minute with a strike from Ranier De Jesus. De Jesus sent a rising blast, one of his match-high seven attempts, into the upper corner as it eluded the reach of Navarrete.
Each team had chances to provide a winning tally late in the match, but both Ardilla and Navarrete stood tall, sending the game to extra time.
The first overtime period was dominated by the Fire, who sent flurries of shots toward the net and outshot the Royals 4-2 in the frame. As the pressure mounted and the game intensified, neither team could break the deadlock, despite a combined 13 shots in the extra periods.
The draw moved the Fire to 1-4-1 on the season.
Southeastern will be back on the pitch in on Saturday in Miami as they face Johnson & Wales at 2 p.m.
