UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's soccer team opened the 2026 season with a 2-2 draw against No. 16 Lincoln (Mo.) on Thursday afternoon at Robert C. Braddock Field.
The Cardinals (0-0-1) struck first in the 23rd minute. Adrian Hatman (Hîncesti, Moldova, Lucian Blaga) set up Kai Forsyth (Derby, England), who found the back of the net at 22:48 to give Saginaw Valley a 1-0 advantage.
SVSU goalkeeper Nick Kay (Walled Lake, Mich., Walled Lake Central HS) helped maintain the lead late in the opening half. Kay stopped attempts in the 39th and 40th minutes as the Cardinals carried their one-goal advantage into halftime.
The Blue Tigers (0-0-1) found the equalizer shortly after the break. Ackeem Mullings entered the match in the 59th minute and scored just 19 seconds later, tying the contest at 1-1 at 59:02.
Saginaw Valley responded seven minutes later. After a Lincoln foul inside the box, Matty Telfer (Newcastle, England, Sunderland College) stepped to the penalty spot and converted the opportunity at 66:04 to put the Cardinals back in front, 2-1.
The lead lasted just over four minutes before Lincoln answered again. Jerome Lawel scored from distance late in the match to even the score.
SVSU continued searching for a third goal down the stretch. Narcis Gavalda (Rossell, Spain, IES La Senia) put an attempt on target in the 77th minute, forcing a save from Lincoln goalkeeper Vincent Osei, and added another shot in the 85th minute. The Cardinals earned a corner following the attempt but could not break the deadlock.
The Blue Tigers held a narrow 12-11 advantage in total shots, while Saginaw Valley put five of its attempts on goal compared to four for Lincoln. The Cardinals finished with a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Telfer led the SVSU attack with three shots, two on goal and his first goal of the season. Josh Izu (Lagos, Nigeria) also recorded three attempts, while Gavalda and Jo Bédard (Québec City, Canada, St. Andrew's School) each finished with two. Forsyth scored on his lone attempt of the afternoon, while Hatman recorded the assist.
Head coach Louis Barrow said this about the team's performance,
"I'm really proud of how hard the boys worked. With a complete new team, instilling that hard work and culture is always going to be difficult until the boys play the real games. It feels like a bad draw after being up twice in the game, but overall, playing against a ranked opponent who was number one in the region last year, I'm very happy with a draw."
Up Next: The Cardinals hit the road for the first time this season on Sunday, August 30, when they travel to West Virginia to face No. 9 Charleston. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM at Welch Athletic Complex.
