BLUEFIELD, Va. – The Bluefield University men's soccer team battled Guilford College to a 1-1 draw in a non-conference contest Friday evening at Graham High School.
The Rams (2-3-1) answered an early Guilford goal with an equalizer from senior forward Sebastian Armijos just over three minutes later, and neither side was able to break the deadlock over the final 72 minutes.
Bluefield generated the first scoring opportunity of the match in the fifth minute when senior midfielder Landon Murnahan put a shot on goal, but the Guilford goalkeeper made the save.
The Quakers broke through in the 14' to give Guilford a 1-0 advantage. Bluefield quickly responded, creating a pair of chances before finding the equalizer.
In the 18th minute, Murnahan connected with Armijos, who put away his opportunity to level the match at 1-1.
Murnahan nearly gave the Rams the lead just three minutes later, forcing another save from Guilford. On the other end, Bluefield senior goalkeeper Canaan Newman made four first-half saves to keep the match tied heading into the break.
Bluefield opened the second half with a pair of opportunities from Murnahan and freshman midfielder Diego Valenzuela, but neither was able to break the tie.
Guilford increased its offensive pressure as the half progressed, but Newman and the Bluefield defense held firm. Newman stopped a Quakers shot on goal in the 63' before making another save in the 79'
The Quakers came close to taking the lead in the 83', but were unable to capitalize. Newman followed with another save moments later, while the Bluefield defense also recorded a team save in the 84'. Newman made his final stop in the 89' to preserve the draw.
Murnahan led the Bluefield attack with four shots, including two on goal, while recording the assist on Armijos' goal. Armijos scored on his lone shot of the match, while Valenzuela added two attempts.
Newman finished with eight saves while allowing just one goal over the full 90 minutes. Bluefield recorded nine shots with three on goal, while Guilford finished with 18 shots and 10 on target.
The Rams return to action Wednesday, traveling to Pikeville for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
