Four-goal second half ends with Storm drawing nationally-ranked Luther

DECORAH, Iowa - Simpson men's soccer team played nationally-ranked Luther to a 2-2 draw after a wild second half, Saturday, at Luther Soccer Field.

The Storm (10-3-2, 3-1-2 A-R-C) remain in contention for the top seed in the American Rivers Conference Tournament, but saw their 2-0 second half lead slip to the Norse (8-2-4, 2-0-3 A-R-C).

Simpson forced three saves out of Norse goalkeeper Matt Bell in the first half. Matt Hasken saw his shot saved in the 31st minute and leading goalscorer Baraka Ellie had a chance a few moments later, also saved by Bell. 

The half ended scoreless, but the second half was full of twists. Just over five minutes into the half, the Storm won a free kick just outside the Norse box on the left hand side. While the Norse wall originally blocked the free kick from Mateaus Lewis, the ball rebounded to him and he sent a cross to the far post. Hasken was on hand to head a looping ball over the Norse defense, where Ellie was unmarked to easily tap in his header into the net.

The Storm doubled their advantage in the 67th minute. After some good team play switched the ball to Hasken, he attempted to play a ball in the box that went a little too far. However, some miscommunication between Bell and his defender, led to the ball ricocheting off the defender and into the net for a 2-0 lead.

However, the Norse pressed hard after that, cutting the lead in half less than eight minutes later. Simpson had multiple chances to clear an initial free kick that was recycled by Luther and played back into the box. Norse left back Fel Alvarez Casaro was able to control a ball and volley home.

In another twist in a second half full of action, the Norse equalized three minutes later. A ball was played into Faydane Ouro-Akondo, who skillfully turned his defender and dispatched the ball into the bottom-left corner.

The Storm withstood Luther's pressure after that, despite the Norse having all momentum. The Storm nearly won it with seconds left after a corner kick led to a goalmouth struggle for about 20 seconds before Luther finally cleared to mark the end of the match. 

Despite Luther coming in nationally ranked, Simpson outshot the Norse in both halves and were the better side for large portions of the match. 

Up Next
The Storm finish their three-match road trip with a visit to Nebraska Wesleyan, Wednesday, at 6 p.m.