RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's soccer team opened its WIAC schedule with a 2-2 tie against UW-Platteville on Saturday afternoon at Ramer Soccer Field. The Falcons (3-4-3, 0-0-1 WIAC) held the lead twice but couldn't hold off the Pioneers (5-2-3, 0-0-1 WIAC) squad in a match filled with back-and-forth action.
UW-River Falls scored first in the 28
th minute when a Platteville own goal gave the Falcons a 1-0 advantage. The Falcons would hold their 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Coming out of half, Platteville responded early, equalizing the score in the 50
th minute. Liam Holtzen fired home an unassisted goal from close range to make it 1-1. The Falcons regained the lead shortly after, as
Noah Meschke scored his first goal of the season, with
AJ Jueseah providing the assist. The Pioneers answered quickly after, tying the game again in the 59
th minute. Sebastian Carranza scored off a setup from Keegan Maxfield, finding the back of the net to make it 2-2.
The final 30 minutes saw end-to-end action, with both sides creating chances but unable to find a winner. Platteville led in corners (8-5 overall) and outshot River Falls 10-9. Falcons goalkeeper
Josh Bates made five saves, including key stops in the closing minutes. Aiken finished with two saves for Platteville.
Key performers for the Falcons included Meschke, who led the team with a goal and a shot on target, while Jueseah contributed the assist.
Oscar Moline,
Daniel Pirillo and
Mateo Gonzalez each contribute two shots.
Up next, the Falcons will host Gustavus Adolphus on Oct. 7 at Smith Stadium at 6 p.m.
