SATSUMA, Ala. – Down 1-0 with less than twenty minutes remaining, Thomas University senior Joao Pedro Vinha beat the goalie to tie the contest back up at one apiece in Friday night's  season opener. 

In the contest both the Night Hawks (0-0-1) and the Eagles (0-0-1) struggled to find the back of the net, with each team reaching the double-digit shot count. 

Despite getting outshot in the first half of the contest, TU's defense held the game scoreless to halftime in a 0-0 draw. The lockdown defense continued to hold for the first ten minutes of the second half before a goal from Embry-Riddle's Cameron Kovats opened the contest in the 56' minute, 1-0. 

The Night Hawks then responded in the 71' minute as JP Vinha netted Thomas' first goal of the 2022 season, 1-1. 

Vinha led Thomas with four shots, with Connor Parry also firing  two shots on goal. Six players combined for ten shots in total with six being on frame. TU had 15 players see action while three freshman, Aaron Sindhar, Owen Speir and Luiz Anchieta made starts in their collegiate debut. 

The highly contested contest saw the Night Hawks nearly take the win in the final ten minutes, with both Parry and Vinha having shots saved in the final minutes of action.

Turning Point 

-- Vinha's 71st minute goal leveled the game and helped the Night Hawks tie RV Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 

Up Next

-- The Night Hawks return to action on Sunday, Aug. 21st, against LSU-Shreveport. Gametime is set for 3:00 p.m.

How to Follow

For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by play, and feature stories of your TU men's soccer team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMSocc.