The historical significance was obvious.
The atmosphere was electric.
The competition was fierce.
And, fittingly, neither team left the field a loser.
In the first-ever men's collegiate soccer game in which both teams were led by female head coaches, host New York University, led by
Kim Wyant, and visiting University of Chicago, headed by Julianne Sitch, finished in a 0-0 draw in front of a raucous crowd at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, NY.
The Maroons (14-0-1, 4-0-1) entered the University Athletic Association (UAA) contest unbeaten, untied and
ranked #1 in NCAA Division III, while the Violets (7-4-3, 2-1-2) were 0-8 in the team's last eight meetings.
"Every time in my four years and for the last nine years we haven't been able to beat them," said senior captain
Nicholas Suter. "They came into the game undefeated, but we knew if we played well we had a chance."
It was a chippy first half, with several yellow cards issued and NYU's
Nathan Bennett receiving a red-card ejection. Despite all the aggressive play, there were no shots on goals or corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.
"At halftime we talked about this concept of what happens when 10 players play against 11, which is a phenomenon in soccer where the team with 11 relaxes too much and the team with 10 really buckles down," Wyant explained.
Things loosened up a bit in the second half, with the Violets'
Arkan Tahsildaroglu recording the first shot on goal in the first minute of play. Several more shots between the pipes ensued, with goalkeeper saves, posts and crossbars denying the attackers.
With 10 minutes to play, another Tahsildaroglu shot clanged off the left post, while a Chicago last-second attempt to end the deadlock rebounded harmlessly off the crossbar.
NYU keeper
Luca Mancuso finished with five saves, while Chicago's Will Boyes recorded a pair.
"For the significance of this game, to play the #1 team in the country to go down a man 20 minutes into the game, you couldn't have asked for a more dramatic script," Wyant said. "Although this game was a draw, it feels like a victory. I couldn't be more proud of the guys.
"I always want to win, that's never in doubt," Wyant added. "But, I never lost the significance of the game."
An unprecedented event which will be long remembered for not only its social significance, but for the action on the pitch, as well.
