Sparkill, N.Y. - When the St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's soccer team fell down 2-0 early in their match with the Chestnut Hill Griffins, head coach Graham Brown reminded his team at halftime to keep battling. The Spartans responded, and outworked the Griffins throughout the second half, scoring two goals in the final 43 minutes of regulation on their way to a 2-2 tie. 

Jose Tovar and Anthony Bolivar Sanchez scored the goals, with Joel Hofstetter assisting on both, but every player on the field contributed in the effort. 

How it Happened 
Chestnut Hill did not waste time taking it to the Spartans, as the first half was largely controlled by the Griffins.

Goalkeeper Felix Davies started off the game strong, turning away the first three Chestnut Hill shots on goal. However, the visitors would earn themselves a penalty kick, as a result of a Davies foul inside of the penalty box. Lucas de Sa would convert the PK in the 21st minute to make it 1-0 Griffins.

Four minutes later, Miguel Marra would put another ball to the back of the STAC net with the helpers going to Lucas de Sa and Andrey McIntyre, doubling the Chestnut Hill lead to 2-0 at the half.

Coming out of halftime, STAC put tremendous pressure on the Griffins back line and just two minutes into the new stanza Jose Tovar would take a pass from Joel Hofstetter and deposit it behind keeper Mahmoud Mahmoud to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Spartans would get the equalizer in the 88th minute off the foot of Anthony Bolivar Sanchez. The senior tipped in another pass from Joel Hofstetter to tie the game up for St. Thomas Aquinas and force overtime. 

Despite Chestnut Hill outshooting STAC 5-2, the score remained deadlocked at 2-2 through 20 minutes of extra time.

Inside the Box Score

• Anthony Bolivar Sanchez scored his second goal of the season.
• Jose Tovar tallied his first goal as a member of the Spartans.
• Goalkeeper Felix Davies played all 110 minutes in his season debut, making seven total saves on the afternoon.
• Jorge Umana fired off a team-high four shots, with all making it on goal.
• STAC outshot Chestnut Hill 19-13 for the match.
• St. Thomas Aquinas took 21 fouls and received six yellow cards, while the visiting Griffins picked up 16 fouls and three yellow cards on the day.

Up Next
STAC (2-1-1) will return to action on Tuesday, September 14 when they host Bloomfield College at Spartan Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30pm.