The Middlesex boys’ varsity soccer team traveled to Milton for a later kickoff and turned in one of their best performances in earning a 1-1 draw. 

The first half saw Milton in the ascendancy, as they earned four corner kicks in a row and pressured the Middlesex goal with their long throw-ins on their narrow field attacked by their two towering center backs.  However, Middlesex keeper Michael O’Keeffe had a fantastic day in the net and registered 14 saves on the day.  With the score knotted at zero in the 65^th minute an inspired Jivan Purutyan played a dangerous ball across the six yard box that Stevie Gleason just missed getting on the end of for the tap-in finish. 

A flurry of action then ensued in a three minute period of end-to-end action.  It began in the 73^rd minute when freshman Gavin Tasker led a counterattack and played a brilliant ball in a gap for an angled run from junior Stevie Gleason to walk in one-on-one with the Milton keeper only to chip a ball harmlessly over the crossbar.  Then just a minute later the referee gifted a penalty kick to Milton that was blasted off of the crossbar and out to the elation of the Zebras. Then came a cruel twist of fate in the 75^th minute, as a routine shot from 25 yards that O’Keeffe had covered ricocheted off of a player at the top of the box and found its way into the side net as the deflection had sent the keeper the wrong way in the muddy goal.  Middlesex responded with a great show of character, and were almost rewarded within four minutes as Tasker once again played a perfectly weighted ball to the industrious Julian Bishop to take a great first touch and walk in for another one-on-one with the Mustang keeper.  Bishop shot was on frame and forced a great save from their keeper to preserve the lead with 11 minutes remaining. 

As the last ten minutes ran down Middlesex pressed and gained momentum until the payoff for their hard work came in the 87^th minute.  Senior Captain Philip Skayne made another trademark run through the Milton defenders and forced them to concede a corner with just three minutes remaining on the clock.  Gleason stepped up and served a ball that senior Jon Sokolsky thumped home with a back post header as he returned   after two weeks of injury to lift his teammates to a much-deserved share of the points. 

Standouts on the day included the back four, Skayne, Tasker, Purutyan, Bishop, and O’Keeffe, but this was a complete team effort and valuable point earned by the entire squad.

Middlesex faces Lawrence Academy next at 2:30pm  on Wednesday, October 3 on their home field.