Weiner's Goal Leads Gophers to 1-1 Tie at Juniata

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- When Goucher and Juniata's men's soccer programs face off against each other, a close match can generally be expected, as five of the teams' previous six conference matchups were decided by a goal or less. That trend continued this afternoon, with the two squads forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Brandon Weiner (Derwood, Md./Col. Zadok A. Magruder) tallied the only goal of the game for Goucher (6-5-2, 1-1-1 Landmark) at 16:59, heading in a long-distance free kick from Kevin Tonkovich (Lacey, N.J./Lacey Twp.) for his third goal of the season. Aaron Kulig equalized for Juniata (9-2-2) with 20 minutes remaining in the second half.

Weiner's opener was part of a commanding first half for the Gophers, who led 10-4 in shots prior to the intermission. Marco Grotti (Milmay, N.J./Millville) nearly doubled Goucher's advantage at 31:35, but his shot rattled off the post.

Juniata was held without a shot in the first 24 minutes of the second half. Not long after they ended that stretch, however, Kulig headed a ball past Nicholas Stolarz (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) to even up the score.

Tonkovich registered four shots for Goucher after the tying goal, but Eagle goalie Blaine Barsch was up to the task on all of them. Tonkovich ended the contest with a career-high eight shots, which were the most in a game for any Gopher so far this season. He also picked up his team-leading fourth assist on Weiner's goal. That point was his 10th of 2013, one behind team-leader Nate Margolis (Ivyland, Pa./Council Rock North).

Stolarz finished with seven saves in goal, including three stops in the two overtime periods. Goucher ended the match with a 17-14 lead in shots and a 9-1 edge in corner kicks. Tate Becker (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) added three shots for the Gophers.

Goucher returns to action next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for another road Landmark match against Drew (7-3-2).