OTTAWA, Kan. - Saturday's men's soccer match between no. 9 Ottawa and McPherson was a heated battle, with nearly twice as many fouls whistled (44) as shots (23) that ended in an unexpected 1-1 draw.
Antonio Natalucci picked up his second goal of the season in the 73rd minute to deliver the result for the Braves.
Ottawa came out with possession to start the contest, but a brief flurry of pressure from McPherson in the fifth minute foreshadowed what was to come later.
Natalucci was inches away from striking first for Ottawa, rattling the crossbar in the sixth minute from the top of the 18-yard box, but the ball ricocheted down and was collected by the Bulldogs to spark a counter.
McPherson's Rawson Harris forced the first save of the match from the counterattack, testing
Alex Neri low and to the left.
The first of what would eventually become eight cautions shown in the match came in the 16th minute, as McPherson's Ronald Lozano cleared out
Simon Kindt on the near touchline as Ottawa played the ball forward. After the anticipated advantage did not develop, the center official stopped play and returned to show the caution as Kindt was still struggling to return to the field.
Ottawa found the next solid chance of the match, as Harris was whistled for a foul just outside the 18-yard box.
Juan Lopez-Arteaga stepped into the 31st-minute free kick and tested Alvaro Marchal, who was just able to get a palm to the ball and parry it for a corner kick.
Leo Mautret nearly converted on the header, but it went just right of net.
Somewhat against the grain, McPherson was able to find the opening goal of the match. After finding a turnover in midfield, the Bulldogs were able to break toward net. Neri was equal to the 1-on-1 opportunity against Nathan Van Wyck, diving low and to the right to get a hand on Van Wyck's rocketed shot, but McPherson was able to recycle the attack, with Elliot Powrie finding the head of Santiago Rendon in the 37th minute.
Moments later, Ottawa had the opportunity for an equalizer, as Zane Sullivan was whistled for a penalty kick, but Marchal was able to read
Slobodan Novicevic's effort to make the save then scramble to cover the loose ball.
In the 45th minute, Ottawa was robbed of an opportunity to equalize, as Harris stepped in the path of
Mateo Trigo streaking toward goal without making an effort at the ball. With just 25 seconds left in the half, the center official opted to let the clock run while a huddle of McPherson defenders stood in front of the ball, succeeding in milking enough time off the clock to prevent the free kick from being taken.
The second half finally saw the time-wasting behavior addressed, as both Lorenzo Orlandi and Van Wyck went into the referee's book in the 53rd and 67th minute respectively, with the caution to Van Wyck being emphatically delivered with a warning to both teams.
Ottawa was finally able to break through the back-and-forth that was much of the second half, with Kindt forcing a turnover just outside of his own 18-yard box then dribbling through the entirety of the McPherson midfield. Spotting Natalucci making a run, Kindt delivered a pass in stride through the Bulldog back line, with Natalucci curling it around Marchal.
Each team was able to manufacture one solid chance over the final 15 minutes of the contest, with Van Wyck forcing a top corner save by Neri in the 86th minute and Natalucci testing Marchal low and to the left in the 87th, but the match ended deadlocked at 1-1.
Next up for the Braves is a two-match road swing, with a Wednesday visit to Evangel first on tap. Kickoff from Springfield, Mo., is set for 7:30 p.m.
