ANNVILLE, Pa. ­­– Aaron Weitzel and Simon Grimes netted clutch goals for the Lebanon Valley College Men's Soccer team, as the program tied No. 9 Franklin & Marshall College 2-2 in a hard-fought contest on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Herbert Field.

The Dutchmen (6-4-2, 0-0-1 MAC Freedom) generated some early offensive opportunities, as Aidan Negron took a shot on goal that was saved 1:36 into the game. Weitzel then contributed to these efforts with a shot that went to the left of the net at the 2:18 mark. Lebanon Valley was also productive defensively at the beginning of the first half, preventing the Diplomats (6-0-6, 4-0-0 Centennial) from taking a shot for over 15 minutes at the start. Franklin & Marshall's first shot of the afternoon went over the net 15:33 into the match.

The Diplomats then opened the scoring 16:41 into the opening half, taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Nathan Schlessinger. F&M continued to send shots toward the net as the frame progressed, tallying attempts at the 19:31 and 22:45 marks. Both of these shots resulted in important saves by LVC goalkeeper Dalton Fitterling. Lebanon Valley also worked to create scoring chances, as Will Burton logged a shot that was saved 27:11 into the first.

The programs proceeded to go back and forth for over 16 minutes, maintaining the score over this stretch. The Dutchmen then got on the board with 1:11 remaining in the first half, tying the contest at 1-1. Grimes evened the score with a shot that got past the diving attempt of Franklin & Marshall's goalkeeper, before deflecting off the right post and rolling into the net. LVC's first goal of the day was assisted by Burton. The teams entered halftime in a 1-1 tie.

The squads battled defensively when the second half got underway, until Lebanon Valley resumed the scoring at the 53:41 mark. The Flying Dutchmen took a 2-1 advantage when Weitzel fired a goal past the diving try of the goalie and into the right side of the net, courtesy of assists by Nathan Prex and Lucas Strange. The Diplomats followed this by tying the match at 2-2 just 2:06 later, as Koa Kaliebe scored a goal on a free kick.

Both sides then worked to find the net as the second half went on, as the Diplomats tallied a shot on goal that was saved by Fitterling at the 61:12 mark. Lebanon Valley countered with an attempt by Prex that was saved 61:57 into the game, before Burton's shot that was saved at the 65:07 mark. Fitterling also continued to produce for LVC defensively as the second stanza went on, recording another save at the 73:55 mark.

Offensively, the Dutchmen created opportunities when Ethan Groff and Grimes each took a shot within a period of 18 seconds in the 75^th minute. The program kept battling as the end of the second half approached, as Kevin Donahue took a shot that went high with 1:25 left. Franklin & Marshall then sent a shot toward the net with just 44 seconds to go, which resulted in a clutch save by Fitterling. This prompted the match to end in a 2-2 tie.

Inside the Box Score

• Grimes netted his fourth goal of the season.
• Weitzel registered his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign.
• Burton dished his first career assist on the goal by Grimes. The sophomore also led the team with two shots on goal.
• Prex and Strange were each credited with an assist on Weitzel's goal.
• Fitterling made five saves for Lebanon Valley, bringing his total to 50 for the fall.
• The Dutchmen remain undefeated at Herbert Field this season, as the team has posted a 6-0-2 record thus far.
• Lebanon Valley recorded 13 total shots, putting six attempts on goal.
• LVC tallied three corner kicks while F&M had one.

Up Next
Lebanon Valley will return to the pitch at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, as the program will host Arcadia University in a Homecoming matchup at Herbert Field.

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