SARASOTA, Fla. — Florida Poly men's soccer struck in the opening minutes and battled through heavy second-half pressure to earn a 1-1 draw against New College of Florida on Saturday afternoon.
Florida Poly wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. After Julian Villegas earned the Phoenix their first corner kick in the fourth minute, Tarquin Adams put Florida Poly ahead just seconds later. Adams found the back of the net at the 4:00 mark to give the Phoenix an early 1-0 advantage. The forward remained Florida Poly's most active attacking threat throughout the match, finishing with a team-high six shots.
The Phoenix continued to create chances after taking the lead. Adams had consecutive attempts blocked in the 11th minute before Jaydon Sparkman forced New College goalkeeper Nicholas Tison into a save moments later. New College responded with pressure of its own, but Florida Poly goalkeeper Porter Malloy kept the Mighty Banyans off the board. Malloy stopped attempts from Micah Nelson, Juan Gomez-Cuetara and Angel Frias late in the opening half as the Phoenix carried their 1-0 advantage into halftime.
New College increased the pressure after the break, producing 16 of its 22 total shots during the second half. The hosts hit the post twice in a span of 12 seconds early in the period, but Florida Poly maintained its one-goal advantage. The Phoenix generated opportunities at the other end as well, with Johnathan Brangman putting a shot on target in the 56th minute before Antoine Hope fired high in the 70th.
The pressure eventually produced an equalizer for New College in the 75th minute. After Collin Lane made back-to-back saves on headers from Jaden Williams and Micah Nelson, a Florida Poly foul resulted in a penalty kick. Cameron Johnson converted from the spot at 74:23 to level the match at 1-1. Florida Poly immediately went searching for an answer, with Adams sending a shot wide less than a minute later before Ahmad Hijaz forced goalkeeper Cooper Kambak into a save in the 78th minute.
Florida Poly's goalkeeping tandem played a major role in securing the draw. Malloy started and played 62:22 without allowing a goal while recording four saves. Lane took over for the final 27:38 and made three saves while conceding only the penalty kick. Altogether, the Phoenix goalkeepers combined for seven saves against eight New College shots on goal.
New College finished with a 22-12 advantage in total shots and an 8-4 edge in shots on goal, while Florida Poly generated five corner kicks compared with six for the Mighty Banyans. Adams paced the Phoenix attack with six attempts and the team's lone goal, =. The Phoenix committed 13 fouls and received three yellow cards, while New College finished with nine fouls and four yellow cards.
