Yellowjackets 1, St. Scholastica 1 (2 OT)
Stop us if you've heard this one before - the Yellowjacket men's soccer team took to the pitch for a critical match against St. Scholastica, and they decided nothing through 90 minutes. They played an overtime period and decided nothing. They played a second overtime period, and yet again decided nothing.
That was the scenario in each of the last two U.M.A.C. championship games, and in their first meeting of 2018 it was the case, as well. The two evenly matched teams have been at the top of the U.M.A.C. since UW-Superior joined the conference, and they couldn't determine a winner Saturday, instead being forced to settle for a tie in the standings following 1-1 match at Saints Field on an overcast Saturday in Duluth.
It was a typical match between the two conference powerhouses - equal parts talent, grace, and vitriol. The talent and grace allow the teams to play one exciting match after another, with skill unmatched by other teams in the area, while the vitriol provides the requisite snarl expected of one of the best sports rivalries in the Upper Midwest.
The snarl was on full display Saturday, as the teams combined for eight cards, with all but two coming after the 65-minute mark of the match. The most serious card was administered to Yellowjacket
Mason Tynsky (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall), who drew a red card in the 69th minute, meaning the Yellowjackets would go the rest of the way down a man.
Being shorthanded undoubtedly played a role in the Saints tying the match. In the 79th minute Luke Buckton took a shot from the top of the box that eluded Yellowjacket goalkeeper
Dalton VonKaenel (Eagan, Minn./Eagan H.S.) to even the match, 1-1. It was Buckton's fourth goal of the season.
After a scoreless first half that saw the Yellowjackets outshoot the Saints 5-3, the 'Jackets broke through to take the lead.
James Bruce (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone) scored his team-leading third goal of the year, getting in tight and finishing off a redirection to give the Yellowjackets a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute.
Adrian Leal (Alicante, Spain/IES Cabo de la Huerta) and
Felix Blick (Linkoping, Sweden/Katedralskolan) assisted.
Following 90 minutes of regulation play the teams went through a pair of overtimes scoreless. The Saints outshot the Yellowjackets 4-1 in the extra sessions, but the shots on goal were even, 1-1. For the match the Yellowjackets outshot the Saints 15-12 and held the edge in shots on goal, 6-5.
Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) led the Yellowjackets with four shots in the match.
Von Kaenel went the distance for the Yellowjackets, making four saves in the match. Udeme Effiom and Corey Bulheller combined to make five stops for the Saints.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (4-2-1, 0-0-1 U.M.A.C.) will be North Central Tuesday, September 18. The match in Minneapolis will kick off at 3:15 p.m.