HAMMOND, Ind. – Roosevelt was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw Sunday against Purdue Northwest in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for both squads in Hammond, Ind.

The Lakers (2-1-3, 0-0-1 GLIAC) were on the defensive for much of the first half with the Pride outshooting the Lakers 7-4. Eric Carvajal made three saves in the first half, but the senior had little chance on the rocket that gave Purdue Northwest the lead in the 38^th minute.

Yet the deficit did not last long as 30 seconds later, Krystian Niziolek was pushed down trying to split defenders and earned a penalty kick. Noah Vasilev calmly blasted the chance into the top of the net to tie the game with his first goal of the season.

Roosevelt came out on the attack in the second half and it led to a goal less than 10 minutes into the period. Rafael Rios was able to redirect a Purdue Northwest pass into the path of Niziolek, and the graduate student raced towards the goal. Sensing the Pride's defense catching up, Fernandez slowed down and laid off a pass to Fynn Mewes, who made no mistake in firing the ball into the empty net.

The momentum continued in Roosevelt's column until the 68^th minute when a weather delay forced both teams to the locker room for nearly an hour. When play resumed, the Pride equalized in the 79^th minute and neither side was able to apply much pressure after that time.

Purdue Northwest held an 11-7 edge in shots and a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Carvajal made five saves while Oskar Schuster had the only other shot on target for Roosevelt in the match.

UP NEXT: Roosevelt hosts Parkside in the second half of a soccer doubleheader Friday at Morris Field with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. in Arlington Heights. The two teams split the season series last year with both teams winning on their home field.