Eutectics play Hannibal-LaGrange to 3-3 draw

Tuesday morning at St. Louis University High, the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy entertained the Trojans of Hannibal-LaGrange in an American Midwest Conference contest. A win would give the Eutectics a chance to land the 7-seed in the upcoming AMC Tournament.

Both teams elected to play a cautious first half. Through the first 30 minutes, the two teams combined for only seven total shots. Things opened up with 13:18 remaining when Benjamin Contreras was amongst a throng at the top of the box and turned to find enough of an opening to sneak a ball to the right corner of the net for a 1-0 Hannibal-LaGrange lead. That goal opened up a flurry of goals over the final ten minutes. Contreras would try to net his second of the game, but a missile from the left wing was blocked, ricocheted to Andres Santiago Quintana who put one past UHSP keeper Jack Wolfe for a 2-0 lead. Contreras would not have to wait much longer for his second of the game. But before Contreras would get back into the mix, the Eutectics' Woodard brothers would combine to get the home team on the board with Grant feeding Jacob for his team leading 13^th goal of the year to make it 2-1 at 6:31. Five and a half minutes later, the Trojans were on a counterattack with Contreras trying to run down a ball in the right side of the Eutectics box. Grant Woodard took down Contreras which resulted in a penalty shot and the senior for HLGU would bury the shot to make it 3-1 at the half.

The second half opened with the Purple and Gold trying to turn things up offensively. The Eutectics were on the move up the left wing and drew a foul from the Trojans. Grant Woodard took the free kick about 40-yards away from the HLGU netminder Nicolas Veneros. It turned out to be a perfectly orchestrated set-piece for the Euts as Woodard delivered a high deep ball to the right side of the 6-yard box. Jacob Woodard was crashing off the free kick and one-timed the ball past Veneros to make it a one-goal game. Energized by that goal, UHSP was able to keep pressure on the Trojans and the Eutectics finally got what they wanted with 11:09 left. Grand Woodard lofted a ball just beyond midfield to Alvaro Montijano who was in a one-on-one battle. Montijano was able to dribble in, fight off the defender and score from 25-yards away to tie the contest at 3-3.

With both teams sensing the importance of a win as far as the conference race, the final ten minutes was frantic on both ends. The Eutectics managed to dodge two point-blank chances by HLGU, one that went just left and a header that missed just high over the cage. UHSP would have a chance to walk it off though as Jacob Woodard was in all alone on a breakaway as the clock was under :04. Veneros came out to challenge the oncoming Woodard and managed to smother Woodard's game-winning chance just off his foot.

The Eutectics (3-9-3, 0-4-2) did manage to play the Trojans for the first time to a final result that was something other than a loss as UHSP is now 0-8-1 all-time against HLGU. UHSP finishes out the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Columbia. Following that, it will be the American Midwest Conference Tournament.