Wild Finish to Regulation Results in 3-3 Tie for No. 21 UDC at Cal (PA)

CALIFORNIA, PA – The No. 21 nationally ranked University of the District of Columbia Firebirds settled for a 3-3 two-overtime tie against non-region opponent California (PA) on Wednesday, September 10^th.

After a wild end to regulation where the two teams combined for five goals in the second half, neither team could score through two five-minute overtime sessions.

UDC (2-0-1), fresh off the program's first ever top-25 national ranking in the first NSCAA weekly poll of the season, scored back-to-back goals in the 81^st and 86^th minutes to take its first lead of the afternoon, 3-2, but Cal's Elliot Taylor forced the third tie of the game with a goal at the 87:24 mark.

The Vulcans (1-1-1) were the aggressors at the start of the game, taking two corner kicks and five shots within the first 20 minutes of regulation, and scoring the game's opening goal just past the five-minute mark for an early 1-0 lead. The Firebirds would take three shots on goal in the first half, but Cal's goalkeeper Shane Donovan was up to the task, holding UDC scoreless at the break.

Only a little over a minute into the second half, sophomore defender Flavio De Sousa Macedo (Electrical Engineering – Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge Senior HS) scored his first career goal on a rebound deflection to even the score, 1-1. UDC nearly took a 2-1 lead in the 53^rd minute when sophomore midfielder Nenad Smiljanic's (Health Education – Barnsley, England/Barnsley College) shot following an indirect kick clanged off the post, and freshman midfielder Liam Haycock's (Nutrition – Stafford, England/Codsall Community HS) follow-up shot went wide left.

After an over 30-minute scoring lull, Tyler Woolum headed in a cross in the middle of the box from Jeffrey Kyei to put the Vulcans back in front, 2-1 with just over 11 minutes left in regulation.

Exactly two minutes later, sophomore forward Felix Angerer (Business Administration – Bayreuth, Germany/Graj Minster Gymnasium Bayreuth) forced another tie when the rebound off of his own shot bounced directly back to him for his 2^nd goal of the season.

The Firebirds struck again at the 85:25 mark when Donovan was drawn out of the box before junior midfielder Elio Hernandez's (Elementary Education – Germantown, MD/Northwest HS) cross found the foot of the speedy junior forward Moussa Traore (Journalism – Silver Spring, MD/John F. Kennedy HS) for the go-ahead goal – Traore's first of the season. Angerer was also credited with an assist on the play.

Still, UDC's first and only lead of the day was short-lived as Taylor scored the equalizer with only 2:36 left in regulation. Kyei was credited with his second assist of the day on that goal.

This very evenly-played game was very fitting for a series that has been dead even going back to 2003, as the two teams are 3-3-2 against each other in that span. In today's game, shots  (15-15) and corner kicks (7-7) were both equal. UDC junior goalkeeper Louis Connor (Elementary Education – Birmingham, England/Arthur Terry School) made four saves and allowed three goals while Shane Donvan stopped six shots and also allowed three goals.

UDC will host its season home opener vs. Barton at Long Bridge Park on September 13^th at 4 p.m. Address of Long Bridge Park is 475 Long Bridge Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.