The Niagara College men's soccer program (1-1-2) extended their undefeated streak to three matches with a 1-1 draw against the St. Clair Saints (1-1-2). The emotional affair saw six total caution cards issued, and the Knights received a game-tying goal in the 65th minute from Jordi Amores.
Niagara College defender and Welland native Jon Sexton felt his team "played well and deserved three points." He added that the team" will settle with walking off the field with single."
Throughout the contest the Knights pressed St. Clair, but Saints goalkeeper Justin Danelon provided several outstanding saves to maintain the draw.
A melee in the Knights goal area during the 40th minute of the match resulted in Niagara College defender Jesse Derwinski and Saint Clair forward Gabriel Poulino being assessed red cards and being disqualified from the match.
With both teams playing with 10 players, the Saints capitalized almost immediately, scoring in the 42nd minute off a failed defensive zone clearance by the Knights.
The second half saw the Knights pressure St. Clair, pinning the Saints in their penalty area for minutes at a time. Amores pulled the Knights even in the 65th minute on a strong individual effort that saw the Niagara Falls native coral a bouncing pass in the 18-yard box before scoring the goal.
Originally from Costa Rica, Amores resides in Niagara Falls, competes for Niagara United of the Canadian Soccer League, and is currently enrolled in the Niagara College Graphic Design program.
After the match, Niagara College men's soccer head coach Frank DeChellis said "the OCAA this season is a very fast, athletic league and the quality has been very good this season, especially on the goalkeeping front. All but one team have a win and nobody is 4-0 after 4 games. That's rare."
Up next for the Knights is a Wednesday, September 25th matchup versus the 2-2 Mohawk Mountaineers. The Knights currently sit just one point behind Mohawk for fourth place in the competitive OCAA West Division. Kickoff is set for 6:30pm.
