Fit to Be Tied; LIU and Sacred Heart Play to 2-2 Tie

(boxscore)

10/8/04 --Sophomore Omer Rozen (Hashofet, Israel) scored with 1:02 remaining for Long Island, which extended its unbeaten streak to five with a 2-2 tie against Sacred Heart in Fairfield, Conn.

Trailing 2-1, LIU (3-3-3, 2-0-1 NEC) got the ball to senior Josh Couvillion (New Orleans, La.). He played it into the box to Rozen, who was able to chip it over keeper Matt Weston for his first goal of the season and fifth career.

The draw moved the Blackbirds to 3-0-2 over their last five outings.

The Pioneers (1-7-1, 0-2-1) struck first in the 11th minute when Ricarti Mendes blasted a shot from the 30 yards for a 1-0 lead. The team played even for the rest of the half with each side garnering just three shots.

LIU put the offensive pressure on in the second half, knotting the game in the 58th minute. Junior Mustapha Ayoub (Toronto, Canada) was able to gain control in the box off a free kick and crossed the ball toward Norman LeVesque (Yucaipa, Calif.) at the front of the net. LeVesque quickly deposited the shot for his first goal of the season.

From there, the teams seemed destined to play into overtime at 1-1 until the 87th minute. Mendes punched his second goal of the day into the far corner for a 2-1 advantage.

Both teams played very defensive in overtime with the Blackbirds managing the only shot of the extra sessions.