SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Keeping its unbeaten streak alive, no. 9 Ottawa returned to the win column on Wednesday night with an 84th-minute gamewinner from
Lorenzo Lamola delivering a 2-1 win at Evangel.
The match opened up with a frenetic back-and-forth pace, as both teams tried to find openings. Evangel put together the first real chance of the contest, earning a corner kick in the 6th minute, but the ensuing header was well left and easily handled by
Alex Neri.
Ottawa earned its first of 10 corner kicks in the match in the ninth minute, but Evangel was able to clear the low inswinger from danger.
Antonio Natalucci earned a second corner for the Braves in the 11th minute as he cut back toward center from the right, but a well-executed tackle put the ball over the end line. Ottawa was able to keep the pressure up on the corner, earning a free kick just outside the box, but the service went through the penalty area, last off the head of an Ottawa attacker for a goal kick.
The Braves would find the scoreboard first through a massive miscommunication between Evangel's Valentin Goity and his back line. After shepherding the ball out for a goal kick, Evangel tried to build through the midfield, but Ottawa was able to break up the play and force a turnover.
Matt Myers stepped up to intercept a pass and sent a hopeful ball forward and while it didn't find the feet of an Ottawa attacker, Evangel's right back played the ball to where he expected Goity to be waiting, only to look up and see Goity less than a foot from him in full sprint.
Sam Hatswell nearly found the back of net for Ottawa in the 19th minute, lofting a shot toward goal after a scramble on a free kick. His shot was nearly over Goity's reach, but the Valor keeper was able to arch back and collect.
After earning a free kick in the 21st minute, Evangel was nearly able to find an equalizer, but Hayes Van Breusegen's header was pushed over the bar by Neri and Ottawa cleaned up the ensuing corner.
Slobodan Novicevic and
Simon Kindt nearly combined to double Ottawa's lead in the 23rd, but Goity was able to recover and make the stop. A turnover nearly gave
Cale Scott the second goal of the match for Ottawa, but his near post effort was just too tight of an angle, going left of the post.
Evangel had the first chance of the half, but Ottawa would pick up the first real threats, with Scott nodding a header just over the bar in the 51st minute on a counter attack and
Mateo Trigo forcing Goity into a big save in the 52nd minute.
After earning a corner kick in the 59th minute, the Valor thought they had netted the equalizer, as the ball was headed past Neri into the back of the net. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as the whistle sounded for offside from the Evangel attacker screening Neri's view from an offside position.
The protests from Evangel's bench erupted and continued as the Braves jumped into a counterattack, with Novicevic putting Goity to the test again. As the Braves were setting up for the corner, the volume from Evangel's bench continued to grow, eventually forcing a stoppage to the contest as Vasco Goncalves was shown a red card for a second cautionable offense and Evangel's head coach was shown a direct red, leaving the Valor down a man on the field for the remaining half hour.
Despite being down a man, Evangel was able to equalize on a penalty kick in the 65th minute, as
Tadeo Nunez got tangled up with a Valor attacker in the 18-yard box. Neri got the correct read, but the ball was lifted just high enough to find net.
The equalizer infused a new sense of energy into the Braves, but it took until the 84th minute for Ottawa to find the gamewinner. After Natalucci saw his shot parried wide by Goity, Scott set up on the right side for a corner kick. As has been the case most of the season, Ottawa had both Lamola and
Leo Mautret positioned on the back post, looking to utilize their height. But as Scott stepped up, Lamola jogged through the box to the front post unmarked, connecting with his right foot on the low outswinger.
Ottawa heads to Kansas Wesleyan to continue the road swing on Saturday, set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the Coyotes.
