Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's soccer team struck in the opening minute and applied heavy pressure down the stretch as the Crimson and Gold battled St. John Fisher to a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon at Shults Field.
Oberlin wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, taking the lead just 57 seconds into the match. Michael Dolton found the back of the net off an corner kick assist from Walter Gomez-Torres to give the Crimson and Gold an early 1-0 advantage.
The Crimson and Gold continued to threaten, with Dolton forcing a save in the 12' before Jack Kaplan sent an attempt just wide. At the other end, goalkeeper Vince Fortuna made three first-half saves to protect the lead.
St. John Fisher pulled even in the 39', sending the teams into halftime tied at one.
After a tightly contested start to the second half, Oberlin increased the pressure over the closing 15 minutes. Ian Herrera put an attempt on goal in the 75', but the Cardinals' goalkeeper made the stop.
The Yeomen nearly reclaimed the lead during a frantic sequence in the 84'. Attempts from Gomez-Torres, Kinton Surface and Leo Pelizzari-Astle were each saved before Gregory Codjoe struck the crossbar.
Fortuna came through with two more saves late in the match to preserve the draw, finishing the afternoon with five stops.
St. John Fisher held a narrow 15-13 advantage in shots, while Dolton and Gomez-Torres paced Oberlin's attack with five combined attempts despite averaging just 56 minutes on the field.
Oberlin stays home on Wednesday, September 9, to host Case Western Reserve at 7 p.m.
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