Virginia Beach, VA. — The North Carolina Wesleyan men's soccer team jumped out to an early two-goal advantage and battled to a 2-2 draw against Batten on Friday evening at the Foster Field/Tassos Paphitis Soccer Complex.
The Battling Bishops wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Just 32 seconds into the match, Lorenzo Bertoni found the back of the net off an assist from Joel McGinnes to give NC Wesleyan an immediate 1-0 advantage.
NC Wesleyan doubled its lead less than 11 minutes later when Daan Post scored at the 11:15 mark, putting the Bishops ahead 2-0. Wesleyan carried that two-goal advantage into halftime behind a strong defensive effort that kept Batten scoreless through the opening 45 minutes.
The Bishops continued to create opportunities after the break, with Jordi Rodriguez and Levi Engdahl both recording second-half attempts. Engdahl put his effort on frame in the 59th minute, forcing a save from Batten goalkeeper Adrian Najarro.
NC Wesleyan held the 2-0 lead deep into the second half before Batten mounted a late response. Cowen Napior scored at the 84:09 mark to cut the deficit to one, and David Nalls followed just 28 seconds later to even the match at 2-2. The Bishops held firm over the remaining minutes to secure the draw.
Bertoni and Post each finished with a goal for NC Wesleyan, while McGinnes recorded the assist on the opening score. Elliot Helander and Elias Barneaud split time in goal for the Bishops and combined for four saves.
NC Wesleyan finished the night with four shots, three of which were on goal, while earning two corner kicks. The Bishops made the most of their early opportunities, scoring on both of their first-half shots to build the 2-0 advantage.
