ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College men's soccer erased a two-goal second-half deficit to earn a 2-2 double-overtime draw against visiting Houghton College in Empire 8 Conference action. With the draw, both the Soaring Eagles (6-2-2, 1-0-1 E8) and the Highlanders (2-4-4, 0-0-2 E8) remain unbeaten in league play.
 
Although Elmira had to come-from-behind to earn a critical conference point, the Soaring Eagles controlled most of today's play and had a bevy of quality scoring chances throughout the contest. EC outshot Houghton, 23-15, and held a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, and aside from a flurry of attempts by Elmira in the opening 11 minutes, most of the action took place in the middle third of the field.
 
The Soaring Eagles came out of the halftime break buzzing. Elmira outshot Houghton, 5-2, in the first 14 minutes. The best attempt for EC during that time frame came from Cameron Sanderson '21, who snapped a hard low-lining shot that just missed wide left.
 
Although the momentum seemed to be all with Elmira, it would be the Highlanders who put the first goal up on the scoreboard. In the 60th minute, a long punt by the Houghton keeper was headed by an EC defender deep in the defensive zone, but the ball caromed off of Ben Dicrasto and directly to Paul Mitchell. From there, Mitchell let the ball settle before curling it into the left-side netting from 20-yards out.
 
Lutho Mlunguza '23 nearly equalized for Elmira less than three minutes later, but a golden opportunity was spoiled by Houghton's goalkeeper, Caleb Loew. Adam Nichols '20 sent a cross into the box to Mlunguza, who was able to settle the ball and fire a quick shot with his left foot, but Loew made a diving save to deny the goal.
 
Following the missed opportunity, Houghton doubled its lead on a wonder-strike from Julius Klohr. Daniel Bussy set up the goal by winning a 50-50 ball, before knocking it up-field to Klohr, who let the ball bounce once and rocketed it into the back of the net from 30 yards out for the score in the 64th minute.
 
Elmira cut the Houghton lead to one in the 67th minute on a wonderful play between Mark Brado Jr. '22 and Nichols. Brado Jr. beat a Houghton midfielder in the attacking third and split a pair of defenders with lofted pass to Nichols on the left side. From there, Nichols took the shot one-time with the outside of his right boot and buried it into the right-side netting for the score.
 
Elmira's hard work in the second half was rewarded with an equalizer in the 81st minute on a heads-up play by captain Jake Meyer '21. Mlunguza began the scoring play on a free kick with a dangerous feed into the box, which was misplayed by Houghton's Loew. Meyer, who was crashing the net on the far post, collected the loose ball that was dropped by Loew and tapped it into the back of the net for the game-tying goal.
 
From there, both teams had several chances to claim the win, including a Houghton goal that was taken off of the board for offsides. However, neither side was able to break through for the game-winner, as the contest was sent into overtime.
 
EC outshot Houghton, 6-3, in the two overtime periods, but neither team was able to cash-in on those opportunities, as the game ended in a 2-2 overtime draw.
 
In His Own Words
Head Coach Kevin Brenner shares his thoughts on today's draw…
"Today was a bit frustrating. We created numerous chances throughout the game to take a significant lead, but we were not clinical enough in the final third. Full credit to Houghton for taking advantage of their chances. We showed amazing character as the game wore on. There are no easy games in the Empire 8. We now have a full week to prepare and recover going into Utica next weekend."
 
News and Notes

• Elmira is unbeaten in its last five games (4-0-1).
• EC's last two games have gone into overtime.
• The Soaring Eagles are unbeaten in conference play at 1-0-1.
• Elmira are tied in the E8 conference standings with Utica with four league points.
• Nichols scored his team-leading sixth goal and 17th point of the season.
• Mlunguza was credited with his first assist of the year.
• Meyer scored his first goal of the 2019 campaign.
• Brado Jr. logged his second assist of the season.
• Xavier Townsend '23 is unbeaten in his last five starts.

Up Next
Elmira returns to action on Saturday, October 5, in a pivotal Empire 8 Conference showdown against league rival Utica College. The opening kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. in Utica, New York.