Kraus' Header Highlights Men's Soccer Double OT Draw

Sept. 1 – TOWSON, Md. – A pair of career firsts helped the Goucher men's soccer team play to a 1-1, double overtime, draw with Johns Hopkins University on Thursday evening at Beldon Field.

Trailing 1-0 late in the second half against a tough Blue Jays squad, the Gophers looked to an unusual pairing to post their first goal of the season. Freshman Dalton Kraus headed in his first-career goal in the 87^th minute off an assist from sophomore goal keeper Daniel Hendry to knot the game at 1-1. The game would end by the same score.

The Gophers weathered the storm early, as Johns Hopkins came out firing on all cylinders, outshooting Goucher 10-1 over the first 45 minutes. However, solid play by the back row kept the Blue Jays from quality chances, and Hendry added a trio of saves to keep the game scoreless.

The chess match continued into the second half, as JHU continued to pepper the sophomore goal tender with shots. Eventually, in the 71^st minute, Drew Collins found a way to get one past Hendry, scoring from 24-yards out to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 advantage.

The game would stay at that score, with the Gophers getting more aggressive as the game wore on. In the 87^th minute, they got the break they needed and capitalized.  

A foul called on Johns Hopkins at mid field gave Goucher a free kick, which was taken by Hendry at mid field. The sophomore floated a nice ball into the box, where Kraus outjumped the remaining 19 players on the field to head the ball into the top left corner, beating the keeper to tie the game at one.

Defensively, Goucher buckled down once again in the overtime stanzas, limiting Johns Hopkins to four shots in the remaining 20 minutes. However, Hendry was still called upon to make one final save in double OT to preserve the tie, 1-1.

Kraus led the way offensively, posting his first collegiate goal and tallying a pair of points. The remaining shots for the Gophers came from Jeremy Hardy, Ryan Belluch and Andrew Marcantonio.

Hendry, a Second-Team All-Landmark Conference selection last season, picked up where he left off a season ago, stopping a career-high 11 shots. It marked just the second time in his career that he tallied 10 or more saves.

The Gophers will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 3, as they host Gwynedd Mercy in the middle game of a three-match home-stand to open the season. The Match with the Griffins is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Beldon Field.