NORFOLK, Va. - The Monarchs secured a late draw, 1-1 against #18 Kentucky after Lewis Rourke scored the game-tying goal in the 75th minute. The Monarchs have secured a position in the Sun Belt Conference Championship that begins on Sunday, November 9 at campus sites.
“I’m proud of the reaction after their goal tonight,” said ODU head coach Tennant McVea. “This team has shown a lot of resilience in the face of adversity this year.”
ODU (5-5-7, 1-3-5 SBC) trailed for most of the match but a moment of magic with 15 minutes left to play leveled the score. Barrett Saul won a duel against a Kentucky player and Saul was able to to tackle the ball in the direction of Rourke. Rourke immediately drove with the ball and a right footed strike just outside the box was able to beat UK’s (10-2-4, 7-1-1) Sebastian Conlon towards the bottom left of the net.
The Wildcats struck first, in the 29th minute, Isaiah Chisolm was assisted by Kevin Larsson. Chisholm found himself with the ball in the box and slotted it past ODU’s Michael Statham in the bottom right of the goal. ODU tried to capitalize and Evan Watt stepped up on senior night to take a free kick from five yards outside the box. The senior defender struck the ball well and it was on target, but Conlen shifted his feet over quickly in anticipation and corralled the ball with his hands. Otu Bisong had the Monarchs best chance of the opening stanza, he was fed into the box by Saul and had a one-on-one chance with Conlon on the right side of the box but his shot was stopped by UK’s keeper. Wayland would have another chance for the Silver and Blue with six minutes remaining until halftime. He also had a one-on-one chance inside the box but a good reaction save by Conlon denied the Monarchs and the home team went into the half with work to do in the second.
Chisholm tried to give the Wildcats an insurance goal one minute after the break from a dangerous area but the Monarch defense swarmed to the ball and blocked the shot. ODU’s first scoring chance of the final half was taken by Saul. He drove from the midfielder and struck a left footed shot towards the bottom left hand corner of the net but the shot didn’t have enough power as Conlon handled it to make the save. That was followed by back-to-back corners by the Monarchs but neither set piece effort was able to create a shot opportunity.
Joaquin Brizuela almost scored the Wildcats’ second in the 63rd but Statham made a fantastic save to deny him his first goal of the night. Abdou Magib-So would have a crack at goal from outside the box but his attempt went wayward. UK’s Josh Gordon would test Statham again but again the senior from Stockport was equal to the attempt and made the save.
Following the Monarchs equalizing goal, things got a bit chippy on the pitch. Jamie Wynne was shown a yellow in the 81st and Micah Wayland was shown a second yellow which ended up causing a scrum amongst both benches. Shortly after the restart, Bisong made a challenge that earned him a straight red card as the Monarchs went down to nine men to finish the final two minutes of play. The Wildcats tried to capitalize on that opportunity but ODU’s defensive structure held firm and only long range shot attempts were allowed as the game ended, 1-1.
Both teams finished with eight shots each, the Monarchs edged the Wildcats in shots on target 6-5, and ODU had six corners to Kentucky’s two. Teagan Dunne, Watt, Jett Aktan, Saul, and Magib-So all played the full 90 minutes of action.
Watt led Old Dominion with two shots and both on goal. Saul, Rourke, Magib-So, Michael Eberle, Wayland, and Bisong each took one shot on the night.
“We’ve made it to the tournament on our own terms,” said McVea. “Sunday is the start of a new season.”
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs await word from the Sun Belt Conference to see who they will play on Sunday, Nov. 9 at the higher seeded campus’ site.