Eagles Draw With Pilots

Ankeny, IA - The Eagles opened their 2023 season Thursday at home in front of a large crowd against the Pilots of Providence University College. Though the game ended in a 1-1 tie, it was quite an exciting contest. 

The Eagles started the game with a chip on their shoulder and caught the Pilots off guard early. Senior captain and Midfielder James Busenitz, in the 7th minute, scored the Eagles' only goal of the game off of a lasered free kick from 25 yards out. The Pilots came storming back but the Eagles were able to hold off the Pilots' scoring attempts late in the first half. The teams went into halftime with the Eagles leading 1-0. 

The Pilots came out in the second half with a vengeance. In the 52nd minute, Forward Joel Umeh (assisted by Tate Teichgraber) scored a goal to tie the game at 1-1. The game went back and forth, but the Pilots had the upper hand as they had more shots on goal (18-6) and more corner kicks (7-3). Senior goalkeeper Sam Carstensen had a big game with 8 saves. Despite the Pilots having more shots on goal, with the fantastic play of the defensive line and Carstensen's saves, the Eagles were able to will their way to a 1-1 final score. 

The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday, traveling for an exhibition at Northwestern (Iowa). The game will kick off at 5 pm CDT.