GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team returned home to Stermole Stadium Friday staring down a tough matchup with fifth-ranked Cal State Los Angeles and earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw at the end of 90 minutes. Charlie Newberry scored for the second match in a row to be the first man to score against the Golden Eagles (3-0-2) this season, but it was Lucas Taitt's equalizer in the waning moments of the first half that netted the Orediggers (1-1-2) the draw in their battle against a nationally ranked opponent.
 
It didn't take long for the Orediggers to break the seal and get on the board first as just 4:22 into the match, Charlie Newberry found the back of the net in nearly identical fashion to his first goal of the season just one week ago at Biola. Mines was awarded a corner kick on the near side of the field and as Leo Santana put the ball back in play, the LA defense made the same mistake of not marking Newberry on the far side of the box. The second-yard Dayton transfer was left all by himself at the top corner of the six and headed home Santana's ball with ease past the reach of Brayden McClelland to take the early lead.
 
The Golden Eagles answered right back and after Kiernan DiBella saved a shot by Felix Alverdale just 22 seconds after play resumed, Alverdale found the advantage in the ninth minute as a long ball played ahead was run down by Johnny Gonzalez. Gonzalez gathered and dribbled inside the box before dishing to Alverdale who tucked a shot inside the near post to draw level at 1-1.
 
Things settled down briefly as the teams jostled to gain advantage with the only significant action coming on a yellow card to Mines in the 14th minute. Cal State LA pressed their attack while countering the Orediggers well and after a pair of shots missed wide left and were blocked, the third shot of the sequence in the 23rd minute flipped the score in favor of the visitors. Alex Mendez played a through ball from near midfield deep into LA's attacking third to Alverdale. Alverdale drew DiBella off his line before, setting up a pass to Christou Andreas who finished off the run with a tap in goal to take a 2-1 lead.
 
A flurry of substitutions from both sides came around the midway mark of the opening period as Cal State LA looked to maintain or extend their lead while the Orediggers look to draw level. One of those substitutes for Mines was able to do just that as Lucas Taitt found the back of the net with 1:07 before halftime. Following an offsides call against LA and the ensuing free kick, Newberry bombed a long ball across the field and up the near side toward the corner. Taitt ran it down and shook a Golden Eagle defender, working his way to the corner of the six before sending a strike inside the far post to draw even at 2-2.
 
As play resumed in the second half, both Cal State LA and Mines sought the go-ahead score as a physical match continued. Jaden Igarta had a crack at McClelland in the 51st minute before DiBella made a save against Jose Lopez in the 55th minute. Alex Gonzalez had a free run on a ball played back from the near side to the center of the field in the 58th minute but a leaping save by McClelland at the crossbar kept it a 2-2 contest.
 
More subs came as the action wore on with the Golden Eagles battling the elevation and the Orediggers, who ended up winning the possession battle in the match and spent nearly 60% of their time with the ball in their attacking half of the field.
 
A 72nd minute look from Newberry was not to be as McClelland handled the shot while in the 78th minute, DiBella denied Luc Soler. With tensions mounting and time winding down, the Golden Eagles saw three of their five yellow cards in the match issued between the 79th and 84th minutes as the Orediggers remained disciplined and continued to run their sets.
 
A last batch of subs from each side in the closing minutes proved fruitless as Soler's shot turned out to be the last of the night with Mines earning a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the #5 team in Division II.
 
NOTABLES
-Newberry scored his second goal in as many matches and also collected an assist on the Taitt goal to register a three-point night
-Taitt scored his first collegiate goal after recording his first two assists last time out and now has four points in his last two matches
-Santana registered his first career point with an assist on the Newberry goal and posted a career-high 85 minutes of action in his first home start
-DiBella and the defense posted a second-half shutout as the freshman closed the night with four saves
-Hudson Waddell played a career-high 88 minutes
-The Golden Eagles outshot the Orediggers 14-7 on the night and 6-5 in shots on goal
-Mines became the first team to score on Cal State LA this season, breaking up a season-opening shutout streak of 364:22
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers return to action Sunday at 12 p.m. at Stermole Stadium against Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines men's soccer on X and Instagram at @minesmsoc and @mines_msoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.