By Tyler Wahl
Framingham State’s Men’s Soccer faced off against Emerson in an intense conference game Sept. 12, tying 0-0 in double overtime.
Both the Rams and the Lions played with impressive defensive coordination – neither side letting the other get the upper hand at the start of the match.
The ball was continuously sent back and forth through the midfield, yet both teams had trouble producing a counter-attack.
The first good scoring opportunity came from Lions #14, Aaron Tyler. An opening in the Rams’ defense left a clear hole for Tyler to shoot.
Luckily, the shot barely skimmed over the top of the goal post, allowing the Rams to regroup and mount an offensive attack of their own.
In the 31st minute of the first half, Rams midfielder and junior Sherak Ayamga rifled a shot at the opposing team’s net, barely whizzing by the right goal post.
While the shot wasn’t on net, it set the precedent for the Rams’ aggressive shot-taking for the rest of the game. The Rams outshot Emerson 27-13.
Despite getting pulled out of the game early due to a leg tweak, team captain Kunphel Sinha, junior, had a lot to say about the team’s shooting performance. “We had 27 shots and not a single one of them went in the goal – we’ve got to start scoring more. We just have to be more aggressive from the start to the end,” he explained.
Directly after Ayamga’s first scoring opportunity, another well-placed shot from the Rams was saved by Emerson goalkeeper Jacob Ramer.
The scoring opportunities were limited for the rest of the half, as both teams’ defensive strategies halted any offensive momentum.
As the second half closed, both teams seemed eager to pull ahead. That intensity would carry on into both overtimes as well.
In the second half, the Rams’ offensive pressure resulted in a plethora of scoring opportunities. Despite the number of quality shots on net, the Rams still couldn’t take the advantage.
The Lions also found themselves in foul trouble, finishing the game with 22 overall penalties compared to only seven for the Rams.
That foul trouble led to a few great scoring chances in the second half for Ayamga and Rams senior forward Giovanni Green. The Rams offensive plays were well executed, but Ramer continuously kept the net locked down.
The game headed into overtime after two physically demanding halves. The physical playstyle of both teams resulted in more penalties in overtime, allowing the Rams more perfect opportunities to capitalize upon.
Five minutes into overtime, it finally seemed the seal on the net had broken, and it looked as if the Rams had scored o. great positioning due to an Emerson penalty. The goal was reversed, however, due to an offside penalty call.
The rest of the overtime went scoreless, as both the Rams and Lions stepped up their defense in the second overtime. Rams goalkeeper Jake Hartshorn, junior, had a few incredible leaping saves at the end to keep the game a draw.
Sinha added, “Our boys gave it all we had from the start to the end. It was a tough match and I honestly thought we should’ve won, but we just couldn’t capitalize.”
The Rams look to capitalize on their next opponents when they play Mass Maritime at 7 p.m. Oct. 15.