Gophers, Rangers Battle to Draw, Can't Break Tie in Standings

MADISON, N.J. — Goucher began the day tied with Drew for third place in the Landmark Conference. The only thing that changed after the Gophers and the Rangers battled through two overtimes this afternoon to a 1-1 draw is that they are now tied for fourth place as both were passed in the standings by Juniata, which recorded a 2-1 victory over Moravian.

Drew got on the scoreboard first in today's contest. Ricardo Castro took a free kick from just outside the box that the Rangers (9-3-3, 1-1-2 Landmark) were awarded in the 23rd minute and managed to get it past goalie Nicholas Stolarz (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson), who was making his ninth start of the season for the Gophers.

Goucher evened the score on a play in the 40th minute that started with Marco Grotti (Milmay, N.J./Millville) crossing the ball from the right side. Luis Gomes (Bushkill, Pa./East Stroudsburg North), who was positioned by the back post, was able to get his head on the ball and put it in before goalie Michael Reyes of the Rangers could stop him.

For the remainder of the first half, the entire second half and a pair of 10-minute overtime periods, nothing else got past either Stolarz or Reyes. Stolarz finished with four saves and lowered his goals against average to 1.08; including the one he made on a shot by Nate Margolis (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North) in the second OT, Reyes was credited with five saves.

The Rangers ended up with a 19-8 advantage in shots, plus they were awarded 12 corner kicks compared to just three for the Gophers (6-5-3, 1-1-2 Landmark).