ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's soccer team battled back from a pair of one-goal deficits Wednesday night, earning a 2-2 draw against the Wheaton Thunder.
Wheaton wasted little time finding the opening goal, taking a 1-0 lead just 2:48 into the contest. Augie answered in the 31st minute, when Eddie Smith played a ball to Lambis Fostiropoulos, who finished the opportunity at the 30:19 mark to bring the Vikings level at 1-1. The Thunder regained the lead late in the opening half, sending Wheaton into the halftime break with a 2-1 advantage.
Augustana came out of the break with increased pressure and continued to generate chances in the attacking third. The Vikings' persistence paid off in the 61st minute when Smith finished a pass from Diego San Pedro, evening the match at 2-2. The Vikings continued to push for the go-ahead goal during the final 29 minutes. Augustana recorded 10 shots in the second half and earned several corner-kick opportunities, but the Wheaton goalkeeper and the Thunder defense kept the Vikings off the scoreboard.
Augustana goalkeeper Elias Banke also came up big, recording five saves over the full 90 minutes to keep the match tied. Fostiropoulos led the Vikings with four shots, while Jamie K'Otieno added three. Smith finished the night with a goal and an assist, while San Pedro recorded an assist. The Vikings controlled the majority of the offensive opportunities throughout the match, outshooting the Thunder 19-13 and holding an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.
With the draw, Augie moves to 3-3-4 on the season and 0-2-2 in conference action. The team will be back in action next Wednesday to battle Elmhurst on the road.
This content is sourced from
Augustana College
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
