The possible results of a soccer match are a win, a tie and a loss. For the Butler men’s soccer team, it took just three games to pick up one of each.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs (1-1-1) wrapped up the Michigan Invitational with a 1-1 tie, following two scoreless overtime sessions against Oakland.
The first 80 minutes of regulation time saw no goals. However, just two seconds past the 80-minute mark, redshirt junior midfielder Jeff Cheslik put a ball through the posts off a corner kick, giving the Golden Grizzlies (0-2-1) a 1-0 advantage.
Butler’s offense quickly rebounded with a goal seven minutes later by sophomore midfielder Adam Glanzer.
Glanzer found the back of the net thanks to a deflected loose ball by Oakland’s goalkeeper.
Glanzer’s goal would be the last of the match, although sophomore forward Adekunle Oluyedun just barely missed a header off a pass from sophomore forward Blake Leyden with 30 seconds left in the second overtime period.
Oakland outshot the Bulldogs 23-14, including 10-8 in shots on goal.
Butler kicked off the invitational Friday with a 2-1 win against host Michigan.
The victory secured head coach Paul Snape’s first career win, which was even sweeter considering that it came against the team he was part of from 2002-2010.
“It was a great team victory and a great victory for the coaches,” junior defenseman and team captain Jared Isenthal said.
Early on, it did not look like Snape would have much to celebrate. The Wolverines (0-4) found the net first with a goal by sophomore midfielder Fabio Pereira 26 minutes into the match.
Pereira’s strike would be the only goal of the first half.
The Bulldogs came out strong in the second half. Oluyedun passed the ball to sophomore forward Austin Oldham, who sent a shot bouncing off the post and into the goal to tie up the contest.
The goal was Oldham’s team-leading second of the season.
Butler continued to attack with another goal just seven minutes later by Oluyedun. Freshman midfielder Bryce Howard fed the ball to Oluyden, who fired a shot into the net from the 12-yard mark.
Michigan responded to the Bulldogs’ attack by taking 13 shots, six on goal.
Freshman goalkeeper Andy Holte, who was making his first career collegiate start, had a top-notch performance and held Michigan scoreless in the second half. His biggest save came when he blocked a penalty kick with 11 seconds remaining in the game.
“Andy pulled off a great thing,” Snape said. “He was terrific.”
The win was a big one for Butler, as the Wolverines were formerly ranked No. 9 in the nation this season and traveled to the College Cup Final Four last year.
“We were hungry for a win,” junior goalkeeper Matt Soyka said. “We were confident with our preparation, how hard we worked and our team chemistry. That’s what sets us above other teams.”
Northern Illinois captured the invitational championship with a shutout victory against Michigan on Sunday.
The Bulldogs will head to Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 9 for the Dayton Invitational, where they will take on Western Illinois and Houston Baptist.
The Leathernecks (2-3-1) of Western Illinois are coming off a thrilling victory, while the Houston Baptist Huskies (1-4) are currently on a three game losing streak.
