HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – The SCAD men's soccer team battled to a hard-earned 1-1 draw against top-ranked Keiser University on Saturday afternoon, putting together one of its most complete performances of the season against the unbeaten Seahawks.
The Bees (6-4-4, 5-0-1) entered the match riding a strong run of form and showed they could compete with the very best in the NAIA. After conceding midway through the first half, SCAD regrouped and responded with a disciplined defensive effort and a determined second-half equalizer to secure a valuable conference point.
Keiser struck first in the 21st minute when Manu Cordeviola slipped behind the defense and finished from close range off a pass from Eric Bancel, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Despite the setback, the Bees refused to back down. SCAD settled into possession and began to dictate the tempo through the midfield pairing of
Nils Vallotto and
Leon Grube, while defenders
German Moreno and
Paul Brophy helped absorb sustained pressure from the Seahawks' attack.
Goalkeeper
Noa Sonntag continued his stellar play, recording five saves — including a pair of diving stops in the first half and another crucial denial in the 70th minute — to keep the Bees within striking distance.
SCAD's persistence paid off in the 77th minute. After winning a corner and maintaining offensive pressure,
Sebastian Gomez delivered a clever pass into the box where
Kimi Husler timed his run perfectly and buried the equalizer to bring the match level at 1-1. The goal energized the home crowd and swung momentum in SCAD's favor as the Bees pushed for a late winner.
Over the final minutes, both sides traded opportunities, but Sonntag and the SCAD back line stayed composed to keep the Seahawks off the board. Keiser finished with an 11-5 edge in shots and a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks, but SCAD's organized defense and opportunistic attack made the difference.
The match was physical from start to finish, featuring eight yellow cards and nearly 30 fouls as both teams fought for control in midfield.
With the result, SCAD remains unbeaten in conference play and continues to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
The Bees return to the pitch next week for another key conference match up as they look to extend their unbeaten run and solidify their postseason positioning.
