Sparkill, N.Y. - In a fierce battle between two of the East Coast Conference's top men's soccer programs, St. Thomas Aquinas College and Mercy University played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon at Spartan Field.

STAC moves to 6-1-3 overall and 3-0-1 in the ECC, while Mercy goes to 6-1-4 and 3-0-2 to remain atop the standings by just one point.

Uhunoma Fredrick-Ilekhuoba tallied his fourth goal of the season for the Spartans, while Johannes Hanken Tjostheim scored the lone goal for the Mavericks. In goal, Calle Olle Petter Gunnarsson stopped three of four shots faced, with Eirik Elvestad turning away six of seven shots on the other end of the field for the visitors.

How it Happened

• 59th Minute: Mercy struck for the first goal of the match, as a through ball by Daniel Rodriguez found the foot of Johannes Hanken Tjostheim, who shook off a pair of Spartans defenders and fired a high shot just under the crossbar, beating Calle Olle Petter Gunnarsson to make it 1-0.
• 76th Minute: A throw-in to Kevon Evans in the middle of the field had the speedy forward dribbling down the near sideline, beating multiple defenders. Evans then sent a soft pass back to the middle of the field to a streaking Uhunoma Fredrick-Ilekhuoba, who fired a shot that beat Johannes Hanken Tjostheim just inside the left post to the knot the game at 1-1.

Inside the Box Score

• STAC outshot Mercy 15-9 in the match, while the Spartans also earning an 11-6 corner kicks advantage over the Mavericks.
• Jalen Moni registered a team-high four shots in the contest, with two going on frame.
• In a physical affair, the teams combined for 44 fouls and 10 yellow cards.

Up Next

STAC will resume its suspended match with Felician University on Thursday, October 12 in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference matchup at Spartan Field. The Spartans and Golden Falcons will complete the final 41:55 of the second half from September 9 that was stopped due to thunderstorms.