By Murray Gleffe
Correspondent
ASHWAUBENON—The Green Bay Voyageurs FC soccer team couldn’t hold a late one goal lead and tied the St. Louis Lions 2-2.
Both teams had to be separated as pushing and shoving ensued at the end of the July 11th game played at Capital Credit Union Park.
“Very disappointed with the finish,” said Brian Kamler, Voyageurs head coach. “I didn’t agree with the call on their second goal. We were on the verge of getting three points tonight and had to settle for one.”
Green Bay dominated the first 30 minutes of the contest outshooting St. Louis 5-1 but didn’t have anything to show for it.
In the 37th minute, the Lions had a lapse with their goaltender and defender not being on the same page and the Voyageurs made them pay.
Alex Welch stole the ball and made an easy pass to Nick Markanich who put the first goal in to give Green Bay a 1-0 lead.
The Lions struck back just two minutes later after the Voyageurs fell asleep on their defensive side.
Charles Chechlacz sent two shots in on Voyageurs goaltender Jamison Yoder that were punched away but a third attempt by Joey Spotanski found the back of the net evening the game at one apiece.
“The most dangerous time in soccer is right after you score a goal of your own,” added Kamler. “We lost concentration and they punished us.”
With the score still one all in the second half, Leo Villa and Sam Thornton’s chances in the 52nd and 58th minute were turned away by Lions goaltender Liam Gibbs.
Fast forward to the final 12 minutes of the game where the fans were treated to just about everything.
In the 86th minute, Anthony Markanich scored a goal off a corner kick by Antonio Decastro to give Green Bay a 2-1 lead.
Then things got downright ugly on the field!
J. Patrick Wisnewski was thrown out of the game in the 90th minute with a red card.
With stoppage time running, Green Bay once again couldn’t hold a lead.
In the 93rd minute, after the Voyageurs had been called for a foul, Chechlacz took a free kick and buried a goal from 27 yards out to give the Lions an improbable score to tie the game.
“We let up a bit at the end,” added Markanich. “Our goalkeeper wasn’t ready, and they allowed it anyway. Very heated game. Got out of control in the final minutes.”
A minute later, St. Louis’s Cooper Reis was ejected from the game for a leg-whip to a Green Bay player.
The Lions ended the game with only nine players on the field.
Both teams add a point in the standings.
League leader, Des Moines, is in the driver’s seat to make the playoffs with the regular season wrapping up this weekend.
Box Score:
St. Louis: 1,1—2
Green Bay: 1,1—2