ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst University men's soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against Dominican (IL) on Wednesday night at Langhorst Field. The Bluejays moved to 3-2-1 on the season with the result.
The first half was tightly contested, with Elmhurst outshooting the Stars 8-4 but unable to find the back of the net. The Bluejays created chances through set pieces, including corners in the 6th, 17th, and 28th minutes, while shots from Jacob Wipke, Caden Sultzbaugh, Klaus Gartner, and Ryan Wells pressured Dominican goalkeeper Cody Leyba. Elmhurst keeper Niyen Ruffin kept the match level by stopping a Tristen Banquil attempt in the 35th minute, sending the game to halftime scoreless.
The second half brought all the action. Dominican struck first in the 71st minute when Banquil scored to put the visitors ahead 1-0. Elmhurst responded immediately, as Max Aquino netted the equalizer just 21 seconds later to tie the contest at 1-1. From there, both sides pushed for a winner. The Bluejays produced multiple attempts, including shots from Aiden Gjorgjievski, Gartner, Wipke, and Andrew Walters, but Dominican goalkeeper Connor Riddle turned away Walters' effort in the 83rd minute to preserve the deadlock.
Ruffin finished the night with one save for Elmhurst, while Dominican's goalkeepers combined for two stops.
Elmhurst held a 13-6 advantage in shots, including a 3-2 edge in shots on goal, and earned four corner kicks compared to Dominican's one.