The No. 3 Central Methodist men’s soccer team saw its first action of 2021 when the Eagles hosted NCAA DII member Maryville University Thursday night at Davis Field for an exhibition match.

The Eagles battled the Saints to a 1-1 draw after a full 90 minutes of action.

Junior forward Alessandro Salvadego was fouled inside the box in the 56th minute and was awarded a penalty kick. The Belluno, Italy native converted on the PK, firing the ball past the keeper in the lower right corner of the net to give CMU a 1-0 lead.

However, the Saints evened the score just 14 minutes later on a set piece via a corner kick. Neither side was able to  take a lead during the final 20 minutes as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. 

Senior defender Marcos German led the Eagles’ offense with five total shots including four on goal, followed by Salvadego who added four shots, one on goal, including a PK. 

Christian Sanchez and Abel Hegedus each finished the evening with two shots.

Central tallied 18 total shots including nine on frame, compared to five shots and three on goal for Maryville.

The Eagles open up regular season play against Western Illinois on Thursday, August 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Davis Field.