LORETTO, PA. - The Knights trekked to Saint Francis U for a Sunday battle against the Red Flash. After a competitive 90 minutes the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Head coach Seth Roland stated "Our matchups against SFU are always intense and competitive, today was no different."
The Red Flash got the first corner of the game for either side and it led to an outstanding opportunity when Knights freshman Andreas Blaaholm picked up a foul in the box. Two-time NEC Player of the Week Spencer King came up big for FDU in the 7th minute on the ensuing penalty shot with a diving save on Fabian Wagner.
King has only allowed one penalty shot goal on four attempts in the 2023 season.
Roland thought his team seemed "listless" in the first half despite picking up five of their seven shots in the first 45'.
A takeaway in the midfield from Kevin Ruiz in the 10th minute led to the Knights first goal scoring opportunity after he intercepted the ball and placed a beautiful through ball to Sophomore Matt Giraldo who placed a shot towards the goal that was subsequently blocked by a SFU defender.
The Red Flash got on the scoreboard first in the 21st minute after Dallan Schoenberger crossed the ball to Mike Chiha who was positioned on the doorstep to tap home the goal.
The FDU offense dug in after relinquishing the lead and started to pile on shots; Jayd Hamdaoua and Blaaholm each recorded two shots in the first half of play.
The Knights trailed 1-0 entering halftime but "had a good response after had a much better mentality and performance in final 45 minutes."
Less than a minute into the second half Eric Dlabal played a perfect back heel pass into the box which was played by Kevin Leonhard before being taken down by Torren Aikens for a foul.
Roland sent Hamdaoua to the spot for the penalty shot attempt where leveled the match on ball placed in the bottom right corner of the net.
The penalty goal was the fourth goal by Hamdaoua in the last two matches.
The Knights defenders were tested for the final 40 minutes of play as the Red Flash attempted four shots with two of them being on goal.
Roland thought his team benefited from the play of "six guys who did not start; they gave us the lift we needed."
The Knights will be back in action on Thursday night at 7 p.m. as they return home to the banks of the Hackensack to take on Le Moyne for the first time in NEC history. Fans can attend the game at University Stadium or catch the action on NEC Front Row.
Make sure to follow along to all FDU Men's soccer news on social media @FDUKnightsMSOC.
