REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Soccer team had a test Saturday night against No. 23 Montclair State University playing the Red Hawks to a 1-1 draw inside Farquhar Field.

The Maroon and Grey continue to search for their first win in 2022 as they move to 0-1-2.  They looked poised to clinch their first victory after leading at the break 1-0, but faced a tough situation, having to play a man-down after Ethan Kovach (Las Vegas, NV), who scored the go-ahead goal right before the half, received a pair of yellow cards, forcing him out of the game.   

Kovach put UR on top in the 40^th minute after receiving a ball on top of the box from Yusef Mayet (Redondo Beach, CA).  Kovach was able to split a pair of defenders and unleash an absolute cannon from 25-yards out, slotting home to the upper left 90 one of his top finishes of his collegiate career. 

The Bulldogs attempted to hold this lead early in the second half despite the disadvantage, maintaining a strong back line across the first 25 minutes, but was unable to hold as the Red Hawks would find the equalizer in the 69^th minute off the foot of Amer Lukovic.  A ball was fed in by Ian Chesney, which took a high bounce at the top of the box.  It then found the feet of Chesney who finished to the bottom left corner past a diving Seth Lawrence (Redlands, CA).

In the 87^th minute, Jarette Alexis Barajas (San Jose, CA) earned a look for the go-ahead goal from just outside the box finding its way through traffic, but somehow the Red Hawks keeper, Shane Keenan was able to make the diving stop.

In the final minute of the half, the Bulldogs faced three shots and a corner kick, with two of the attempts being saved and the other blocked by the Bulldogs defensive unit keeping the game as a draw. 

The goal scored by Kovach is his second on the season and Lawrence finished with five saves between the posts, playing all 90:00 minutes.  The Red Hawks had the advantage in shots (15-9) and cornerkicks (10-7) on the evening, while the game proved physical with six yellows and a red being issued.

The Bulldogs return to the pitch this Wednesday, September 14 when they host Claremont-M-S beginning at 7:00pm.  This will be a rematch of the 2021 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament finale, which the Bulldogs won 2-1, sending them to the NCAA Division III National Championships.