MADISON, N.J. (Sept. 16, 2015) – Near misses and close calls highlighted an exciting scoreless draw between the Drew University men's soccer team and Muhlenberg College in a non-conference match under the lights at Ranger Stadium on Wednesday.
 
After a 110-minute battle, Drew (5-0-1) outshot the Mules (1-3-1) by a count of 20-15, with junior midfielder Dylan Hammer leading the way with five and three shots on goal. Sophomore forward Benjamin Audi contributed four shots. Junior goalkeeper John Marques made three saves in his 110 minutes in net as he and the Drew defense recorded its fourth shutout of the year.
 
"We had our chances," said head coach Lenny Armuth. "We have to put them away if we want the win. Our pressure was fine, our possession was mostly good, but some great defense by Muhlenberg kept this one scoreless."
 
In the 30^th minute, freshman midfielder Anthony McMyne sent in a lofting header that freshman defender Marlon Rodriguez flicked on towards the net. When the goalie spit the try back out, Hammer tried a shot. The wall of Mules bounced back, but not out, and Hammer chased it down. He turned and fired, the goalie was nowhere to be found but a Muhlenberg defender found himself standing on the goal line, and barely reacted in time to pop the shot back and out of danger. Hammer stood dumbfounded before retreating back on defense.
 
The opening 10 minutes of the second half largely took place at the middle of the field, as neither team made any significant plays at the net.
 
In the 57^th minute, junior midfielder Joe Sollod played a chip from sophomore midfielder Eduardo Martinez over his back shoulder. He exploded into what would be Drew's first threatening try at the net in the second half. He charged forward, angled toward the back corner when he suddenly reversed field and scooted a pass on the ground towards Hammer. Two converging Mules immediately met Hammer, bothering his shot with a high-impact collision that yielded no whistle. The game remained tied.
 
Meanwhile the Ranger defense made no exceptions in locking down the Mules' offense before the box. Only one of the Mules' first 12 shots through the first 65 minutes was on goal.
 
The clocked clicked to 15 minutes remaining and the possession pendulum swung mostly in the Rangers' favor. They were switching field with short, quick passes that went untouched by Muhlenberg defenders. Yet, offside calls and off-target shots stymied those opportunities.
 
The push and pull battle continued on for the final 15 minutes with Muhlenberg focusing largely on defense and playing conservatively. The clocked ticked down to zero with neither team having scored, forcing overtime.
 
The Rangers made several competitive efforts at the net in both overtime periods. Most notably in the second when a flick on from junior midfielder Kevin Baroz found Sollod in space. Sollod spun it back to freshman forward Alexi Velazquez who let a solid shot fly, but the upright keeper hugged it.
 
Velazquez would return to the box second later for another legitimate try but that was saved as well and the overtime would tick down, and the teams would tie.
 
The Rangers kick off Landmark Conference action on Saturday, Sept. 19^th at 1:00 p.m. against Juniata College at Ranger Stadium.