AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team snapped a seven-match losing streak to the St. Thomas University Bobcats on Wednesday afternoon, earning a conference point with a 1-1 draw. The draw was Ave Maria's first result against the Bobcats, who are the defending conference champions and were picked to win the league again this season, since October 26, 2011.

For a majority of the match, the Gyrenes played from behind against the Bobcats, who took a 1-0 lead in the third minute. Just under three minutes into the contest, Romario Atkinson found Lasse Lahrtz in the box, who found the back of the net for his third goal of the season. St. Thomas outshot the Gyrenes 7-0 in the first half, but could not score again, leaving the lead at one goal heading into the second half.

After nearly 30 more minutes of scoreless action, a St. Thomas miscue set up the Gyrenes' equalizer. A Bobcat was sent off due to a red card in the penalty box, and Ave Maria sent Kaveon Dux to the spot for the penalty kick. The sophomore buried his shot in the back of the net for his tenth goal of the season. The goal made Dux just the third Gyrene in school history with ten goals in a season, and moved him alone into second place in the single-season points category with 23.

The final 15 minutes of the second half passed without major threat from either side, leading to a pair of ten-minute overtime periods. The Gyrenes took the lone shot on goal in the opening overtime period, but neither team was able to score, ending the match in a 1-1 draw. 

Andrea Salomone stopped the final ten Bobcat shots on goal, keeping St. Thomas off the board as the Gyrenes clawed back to earn one point in the conference standings. The game was hotly contested between the teams, with three yellow cards and one red card handed out. For the match, the Bobcats outshot the Gyrenes 15-6, including 11-3 in shots on goal.

Following a draw to open conference play, the Gyrenes head on the road on Saturday for a match with the Night Hawks of Thomas University, their first conference road match of the season. Kickoff in Thomasville is scheduled for noon. Ave Maria's next home match is set for next Wednesday against the Johnson and Wales University Wildcats.