MANSFIELD, Conn. - Coast Guard men's soccer faced Eastern Connecticut State on Tuesday evening. The Bears found themselves trailing in the final minutes until senior defender and team captain
Michael O'Brien (Mays Landing, N.J.) scored an equalizer to stave off his team's first loss of the season.
The result marked the Warriors' second tie in as many games, having played to a draw this past Saturday afternoon against Hartford. Eastern Connecticut State is now 1-1-1 this season and will be heading to Waltham, Mass. to play Brandeis in their next contest.
Coast Guard stuck first and quickly, as they've had a habit to do this season. Sophomore forward
Jake Fish (Little Silver, N.J.) raced against his defender on the right side of the field before stopping on a dime and chipping a short cross into the center of the box. Sophomore forward
Cole Miller (Annapolis, Md.) redirected the ball with his head and sent it past the goalie and into the low center area of the net, putting the Bears up 1-0.
The Warriors didn't take their time in equalizing, as a shot in the 15th minute managed to get past sophomore starting goalie
Samuel Linkous (Gulf Breeze, Fla.). Defense was in full display for both teams as neither offense were able to score until the 82nd minute. A rebound by Eastern Connecticut State off of a free kick shot gave the hosts a 2-1 lead and put Coast Guard's undefeated season in jeopardy.
With time winding down, two Bears defenders took matters into their own hands. Sophomore
Naveen Jayaram (Tampa, Fla.) played a pass to O'Brien, who sent it into the lower left corner to tie up the game again. Coast Guard's season would remain perfect when the final horn sounded.
O'Brien holds a special honor this season: not only is he one of Coast Guard men's soccer's tri-captains, he was also hand-picked to sport the #12 jersey in honor of Lt. j.g. Thomas Cameron. Cameron was a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a team captain of the men's soccer team in 2008, when he led the Bears to that year's ECAC Championship. He returned the next season to be an assistant coach while he awaited his deployment to flight school.
Cameron tragically passed away in 2012, along with three other crewman, in training accident during their final week of flight school. To honor his memory and legacy, Cameron's #12 is given to a senior who embodies his leadership, hard work ethic, and relentless desire to win.
Men's soccer will be at home in their next match-up and will host their rivals from King's Point, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The game is slated for a 6:00 PM kick-off and will be this season's second installment of the storied rivalry after Coast Guard women's volleyball defeated the Mariners in straight sets (25-20, 25-10, 25-18) on Tuesday evening. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy will be going into the match coming off a 4-1 victory over Kean College on Saturday afternoon.
