WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University men's soccer team continued on its relentless quest for an elusive first victory of the season.
Junior forward Austin Schulze (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) scored off an assist from junior forward Shea Connell (Alfaz Del Pi, Spain) at the 49:47 mark as Carroll overcame a one-goal deficit and battled to a 1-1 tie with Saint Mary's University (Minn.) after 110 minutes in a windy, warm double-overtime nonconference game at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was the second draw of the season for Carroll, which is 0-9-2 overall following the tenacious home-field performance.
Saint Mary's, 4-6-1 overall, collected the opening goal of the game as junior forward Charles Reit scored on an unassisted shot in the ninth minute.
Reit took control of the ball, dribbled downfield and fired a hard-lining 25-yard straight shot from the left side into the back of the net.
On Carroll's game-tying energized goal that came in the 49th minute with strong, gusty winds to its back, Connell seized possession on the left side and abruptly served a curving shot toward the right side of the box. Schulze, who was sprinting on the right side, made a perfectly timed break on the ball and finished with a quick shot into the back corner.
"In the changing room at halftime, we remained hopeful and thought we had a good opportunity to take control of the game if we execute," said Connell, of the game-tying second-half shot. "Throughout the course of the first half, I kept taking the ball in that direction because the defender couldn't stop me. We might have had the wind to our advantage to start the second half but they still weren't able to mark us. At that point, we kept working on that end of the field until we scored. Fortunately, we kept chipping away and finally did. 
"On the goal, I was able to work through a gap between the two defenders and play the ball across for the finish. It's a play we have missed on several times this season so it was a great feeling to finally get one."
The Pioneers appeared to come away with the potential game-winning shot in the 67th minute but the jubilation was short lived as the goal was negated by a frustrating, somewhat controversial offsides call.
"It's not a hidden fact that we've had a rough start to the season but throughout the situation we have competed with a positive, high spirit," said Connell, a team captain and one of 12 battle-tested juniors on the roster. "Even though records might indicate otherwise, Coach (Derek) Marie has continued to remind us that we're still a good team that has faced a lot of difficult programs so far this year. The vibe in the locker room has been terrific and we truly have competed as a unit through thick and thin. Win, lose or tie, we have done it all as one."
Carroll outshot the Cardinals 15-12 in the fast-paced, physical contest but yielded an 8-6 shot-on-goal margin.
Schulze and Connell each generated two shots on goal with junior midfielder Matt Quint (Waukesha, Wis.) and sophomore midfielder Carlos Guzman (Chicago, Ill.) each contributing one for the Pioneers, who attempted four of their six total corner kicks in the first half.
Freshman goalkeeper Peter Villafuerte (Milwaukee, Wis.) registered seven saves in playing the entire way for Carroll.
Junior goalkeeper Michael Maniak had five saves in going the distance for Saint Mary's.