Men's Soccer battles Providence Christian to a 1-1 draw

VALLEJO, Calif. - Cal Maritime needed two overtime periods during Thursday night's season opener at Bodnar Field to secure an official result against Providence Christian in its inaugural Cal Pac Conference game of the year.

Following Ronald Squier's strike in the 16th minute, which gave the Keelhaulers an early 1-0 advantage, the Sea Beggars pulled even with just over two minutes remaining until halftime to generate some late-half momentum.

Throughout the second half, the Keelhaulers were methodical with their offensive approach and tested Providence Christian's patience for the rest of the evening. Just a handful of minutes after play resumed, the Keelhaulers' discipline nearly paid off when Jasen Nicolas' shot from just outside the box was redirected at the last minute by PC's 'keeper and bounced off the crossbar out of bounds. 

By comparison, the Sea Beggars fired one shot after another in desperation whenever a sliver of a shooting lane presented itself; Keelhauler netminder Nathan Witte only needed to make one save throughout the second half to preserve a 1-1 tie through regulation. 

Even though each team recorded a combined three attempts throughout the two overtime periods, the score remained deadlocked at one apiece until the final horn sounded in Mike Carvalho's debut game as the Keelhaulers' head coach.

Cal Maritime will experience a quick turnaround since it will end the weekend with an 11 a.m. league matchup vs. Marymount California on Saturday at Bodnar Field.