ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Roosevelt spotted Lewis an early lead then rallied to tie the Flyers 2-2 on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Romeoville, Ill.
The Lakers (2-0-2) were slow out of the gate, allowing a corner kick after just 22 seconds of play as the pressure mounted. All four of Lewis' first-half shots came in the opening 17:14 after which the Flyers led 2-0 and their goalkeeper had made two saves.
Oswaldo Perez cut the deficit in half with 14 minutes left in the first half, finishing a nifty passing sequence with a 25-yard rocket into the upper left corner. The play began with
Sebastian Rodriguez and
Rafael Rios combining with a pair of quick touch passes before Rios laid off the ball for Perez's booming shot.
Roosevelt came out ready to play in the second half and put early pressure on the Flyers, leading to a corner kick five minutes in. Nick Killian's corner sailed past the goalkeeper onto Rodriguez's foot, but the shot was blocked then deflected off a Flyers defender's hand for a penalty. Captain
Gabriel Koenig made no mistake and sent the goalie the wrong way to tie the match.
The shots were few and far between over the final 40 minutes as both teams tried to push for the winning goal. Both teams committed seven fouls in the second half and there were more corner kicks (4) than total shots (3) in the final 45 minutes.
UNBEATEN RUN: The Lakers have gone unbeaten in their first four matches, tying the 2013 and 2016 teams for the longest runs to start a season in program history.
KEEPING THE FAITH: This is the third time in four games Roosevelt has conceded first, and the third time the Lakers have rallied to earn points. The Lakers accomplished this feat just twice in the past two years and have won or tied 11 straight games in which it has scored first. Â
UP NEXT: Roosevelt will dip its toe into the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the first time Friday when the Lakers travel to Saginaw Valley State for a 3 p.m. kickoff. It will be the first meeting ever between the Lakers and Cardinals.
