Oct. 13, 2006

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - The St. Bonaventure men's soccer team played Atlantic 10 foe La Salle to a 2-2 draw in double overtime on Friday afternoon at McGraw-Jennings Field.

The Bonnies took an early lead when All-Conference forward Kevin Omokhua ripped a shot through a group of La Salle defenders to beat Explorers keeper Andrew Bernhard in the 5th minute. St. Bonaventure controlled play for most of the first half and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

The second half did not go as well for the Bonnies, as they surrendered back-to-back goals to the Explorers. Jeremy Ortiz tallied the first La Salle goal in the 57th minute to tie the game, and Joey Foster's goal off a rebound less than six minutes later gave the Explorers a 2-1 advantage.

St. Bonaventure fought back and tied the game at 2-2 in the 71st minute when senior midfielder Phil Amahazion took a crossing pass from freshman Samuel Maheu and knocked it past Bernhard.

Neither team could break through for the winning goal, although La Salle out-shot the Bonnies in overtime by a 3-0 margin.

"It was a game of two halves," said St. Bonaventure head coach Mel Mahler. "It was us in the first and them in the second. I was disappointed we got down 2-1, but pretty happy we fought back to tie."

"We earned one point to start the weekend," he added. "It's something to build on."

Bona goalkeeper Ken Lish made five saves, including several on key scoring chances for La Salle, while Bernhard stopped three shots on the day. The Explorers out-shot the Bonnies 15-8.

St. Bonaventure is now 0-2-2 in the A-10 and 0-10-2 overall, while La Salle stands at 5-7-2 (1-3-1 in A-10 play).

The Bonnies return to action on Sunday, when they host conference rival George Washington. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.