The Western Washington's men's soccer team moved to 3-2-2 (0-1-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) on the season with a 3-3-overtime draw over rival Seattle Pacific at Harrington Field on Saturday night. The Vikings and Falcons played a very physical match from start to finish, resulting in two players from each team being sent off. Western received a first half goal from Freshman Christian Rotter in the 19th minute that tied the game at 1-1. The surge of energy helped the Vikings continue to put pressure on the Falcon defense and eventually add a score from junior Drew Barker right before the half. Captain Luke Olney was one of the two WWU players who received an early exit. However that was not before he converted a penalty kick in the 48th minute to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead. That score held until the 84th minute when the Falcons scored the equalizer, sending the game to overtime. In the overtime periods, chances were hard to come by and neither team was able to convert a winning golden goal. Western maintained a persistent attack as the second overtime period came to a close. As they looked to finish off Seattle Pacific, the Vikings earned two corner kicks in the final minute but could not convert. “I think our team battled,” junior, goalkeeper Tyler Visten said. “We did all we could.” Western returns to action next Saturday when they take on Concordia at Harrington Field beginning at 5 pm.
