BETHANY, Okla. — After the dominant clean-sheet performance against Southwest Baptist Thursday night, the Storm were faced with a tough Dallas Baptist defense, resulting in a 1-1 match score Saturday evening.
The Storm (1-0-1, 0-0 GAC) and the Patriots (0-0-2, 0-0 LSC) exchanged shot after shot the entire match, but the defense inside the goal kept the score at bay.
Dallas Baptist was quick to pressure, sending men to the Storm back line in hopes of a limiting their offensive scheme. SNU made the first move as Nathaniel Mederos was awarded the free kick after a Dallas Baptist foul, where his strike grazed the tip of the Patriot keeper's glove, almost scoring in the first few minutes of the match.
Mederos tried another under the 20- minute mark and was a success, striking the back of the net after Bruno Ferreira found him in an open slot for SNU's first score of the evening.
Dallas Baptist returned the favor at the 31st minute after the Patriots snuck one in to tie the match at 1-1. Shots were exchanged in the remaining eight minutes, but the standstill continued over into the half.
Harei Maeda headed the ball in for the potentially tie-breaker, but an offsides call would send it the other way. On the other end the Patriots pressed down the field with two in blue to try and tip off Michele Barletta, but they were denied once more as SNU's trusty man in goal swatted it back.
Barletta would deny the ball once more with a jumping save to deflect another shot tried by the Patriots, snagging his ninth on the night.
Both Kazuki Okazaki and Orlando Castro tried shots within the last five minutes, but couldn't send any in. Mederos troubled the DBU defense once more, curving a shot up and back at the 1:30 marker, but the Patriots keeper defended the play, leaving the match to result in a 1-1 draw.
Mederos claimed SNU's only goal, followed my a stat line of four shots, and three shots on goal.
Bruno Ferreira assisted Mederos on the goal, adding a number one to his stat line in that category.
SNU's newest keeper Michele Barletta had an incredible defensive performance, tallying nine saves on the night to keep DBU from achieving any lead.
SNU will see their first round of road games this season starting Wednesday, August 31st where they will travel to Springfield, Missouri to play Drury at 1:00 p.m.
