FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Oakland tied Purdue Fort Wayne 3-3 on Saturday at Hefner Soccer Complex in a game with no shortage of dramatic moments.
Goals in the final 15 minutes by
Cal Kurzawa and
Zach Townsend helped give the Golden Grizzlies a 3-2 lead late in the match after previously trailing, but the match finished even after a PFW goal with three minutes remaining. Oakland generated seven of its 10 shots after halftime and matched PFW with five shots on goal in a weekend thriller.
Christopher Jean Leger recorded Oakland's first shot in the 10th minute, while PFW sent multiple attempts wide and earned consecutive corner kicks early in the match.
Oakland spent much of the first half managing the Mastodons' pressure, and the match turned when Antonio Tiscareno scored in the 29th minute off an assist from Max Titterington to put Oakland behind 1-0. Oakland pushed back late in the half, earning corner kicks at 39:20 and 40:15 around a
Gabe Gjokaj shot, then forcing Tegan Gumbs to save
Tyler Marsden's attempt at 40:31.
Cole Thompson answered with a save on Brandon Razo in the 43rd minute, and the Golden Grizzlies went into halftime trailing 1-0.
The Golden Grizzlies flipped the script in the second half, as Kurzawa connected off a
Gabe Gjokaj assist at 50:07 to bring Oakland level at 1-1. The Mastodons went back in front at 57:51 with a score of their own, bringing the game to 2-1 in their favor.
Oakland erased another deficit with even more pressure.
Grant Mateer forced a save on a breakaway chance, and Edouard Haineault and Kurzawa putting shots towards the PFW goal as well. Kurzawa would find another lane and score again at 76:33 to tie it at 2-2, earning his second brace of the season. With time winding town,
Zach Townsend would capitalize on a set piece and score his first goal of the season to help the Golden Grizzlies take a 3-2 lead in the 80th minute.
With the match all but finished, PFW answered in the 88th minute on a backheel deflection to leave the match tied 3-3.
Kurzawa scored twice and finished with team highs of three shots and four points.
Zach Townsend added a goal on his only shot, and.
Gabe Gjokaj recorded Oakland's assist and added one shot.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies host Green Bay on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. at Oakland Soccer Field in Rochester, Michigan.
