Drury Battles Back to Tie Everett
SHEFFIELD, Mass. -- After suffering its worst loss of the season in its last game, the Drury boys' soccer team showed some serious moxie in battling back to earn a 3-3 tie with Mount Everett on Monday.Senior Ryan Ouimet's goal off of a pass from junior Stephin Wallace in the 68th minute clinched the draw for the Blue Devils, who earned their sixth point of the season with the result. The goal was set up by a 1-2 pass inside the Eagles' goal box, helping Greg Caproni's club overcome two second-half goals by the hosts.
"This was a wet-and-wild game," Caproni said of the match's rainy conditions. "We came out hot and fast. We managed to work the ball very fast, and I was very proud of of my team's ball movement."
Senior Jacob Groves scored twice for Drury (2-8-2) in the first half, first giving his team the lead by heading in a corner kick from sophomore Thane Preite 12 minutes into the game. Everett (4-7-1) responded two minutes later on a tally by Sage Angell, however, giving the Eagles the first of three goals scored off of corner kicks.
Ouimet found Groves for a breakaway goal with five minutes left in the first half, though, and the Blue Devils took a 2-1 lead into halftime. The Eagles scored twice within the first 10 minutes of the second half, however, briefly giving the hosts the lead before Ouimet had the final say later on.
"We struck early, but Mount Everett battled right back," Caproni said. "Every goal we gave up was off a corner kick, and that's not what you like to see. This was a tough battle. A win would have been nice, but a tie will do."
Drury keeper Joseph Liporace finished with 10 saves on the day, while Blake Ferrara wasn't far behind with nine stops in goal for Everett.
The Blue Devils next play at Mount Greylock at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.