(HALIFAX, N.S.) – It was a tale of two halves on Sunday afternoon at Wickwire Field, as the host Dalhousie Tigers played to a 1-1 draw against the StFX X-Men. The black and orange commanded the opening 45 minutes, while the visitors came storming back in the second half to ensure that the two teams stayed deadlocked for second in the standings.

It took the Tigers just over four minutes to crack the scoreboard, as midfielder Freddy Bekkers (Halifax, NS) netted his fourth goal of the campaign, driving a loose ball past StFX goaltender Matthew Lannan (Port Williams, NS) to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

The goal was the result of an accurate corner kick which was originally headed off the crossbar by midfielder Isaiah McCullough (Sackville, NS), before Bekkers finished off the play.

The X-Mens best chance of the first half came in the 30th minute on a free kick that was deflected just wide off the foot of defender Liam Harrigan (Bangor, ME).

Dalhousie dictated the pace for the majority of the first half and outshot the X-Men 13-2, including three more quality chances from Bekkers. Lannan held his ground, making a few critical saves to keep St.FX in the contest and down just 1-0 at halftime.

The X-Men came out with a higher level of energy in the second half and were able to penetrate through a stingy Tigers back line, eventually leading to a goal by forward Dylan Lawrence (Ottawa, ON) in the 59th minute as he squeaked a shot past Dalhousie goaltender TJ Leopold (Bedford, NS).

Each side had opportunities to take the lead in the final 25 minutes, but neither team was able to cash in, as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Tigers best chance occurred in the 69th minute as defender Jeff Arkin (Bedford, NS) had his shot go just wide of the right post, while the X-Men's most notable try came in the dying minutes, when forward James Fitzpatrick rushed into the box but was unable to get a header off on a well-placed cross.

The Subway Players of the Game were defender Pawel Gorski (Halifax, NS) for Dalhousie, and Lawrence for StFX. Gorski was excellent on throw-ins and was a stellar facilitator for his teammates, while Lawrence notched the game-tying goal for the X-Men.

With the tie, the two teams remain equal at 2-0-2 on the season. Next up for Dalhousie is a trip to UPEI, while StFX plays host to Mount Allison. 

By: Mike Still, Dalhousie Athletics