Atherton, CA:

Play of the Game: Eric Angell caps off the Oaks two goals in the span of 40 seconds late in the 2nd half. 

Intensity, drama, and sometimes downright chaos were all on hand in Menlo's first California Pacific Conference clash of the 2012 season, as the Oaks (2-0-2) played host to Marymount College (3-2-1) in a picturesque afternoon turned evening at Wunderlich Field.  Two epic comebacks, two extra periods, and through all the thrilling action the affair concluded in a 2-2 draw. 

"Today was just a great game played by two great teams," said third year Menlo Head Coach Mike Keller on the dramatic conference opener.  "Our guys played excellent today, and I know it might sound cliché but this early on in the season it's still a process and we are going to continue to build on matches like this." 

After trailing at the half for the first time in the Oaks' last 16 matches, Menlo was stifled on a number of scoring opportunities throughout most of the second stanza.  Down 1-0 on a Scott Smith penalty shot goal in the 26^th minute, the Oaks were turned away after a slew of dramatic moments kept Menlo off the board. 

First in the 57^th minute, junior Andrew Cota crossed the ball perfectly to Alex Vukic who promptly knocked it off his head, past Mariners' goalkeeper Christos Voglis, but thanks to the crossbar the Oaks were denied.  The ball then quickly ricocheted off the bar to a waiting Giuseppe Frattaroli who deflected a header of his own, but Voglis was just able to smack the shot away to preserve the 1-0 Marymount advantage.

Six minutes later, Menlo was it again.  A Cota corner found Vukic in the box, who then beat Voglis for what looked to all in attendance as the equalizer.  However the Mariners' Jason Milletti had other ideas.  The junior captain was waiting inches outside of the net, got his noggin on it, and miraculously bounced it away.  The "right place at the right time" type of save produced a growing sentiment of "maybe it's just not Menlo's day." 

Not the case…

In a match categorized for its truly unbelievable momentum shifts, it was time for the Oaks to produce quite possibly the largest one of the affair.  Just inside the final ten minutes, Eric Angell found an open Cota who finally deadlocked the score with rocket past the leaping attempt of Voglis for his team leading third goal of the season. 

40 seconds later, Menlo was it again.  This time it would be Angell that did the honors with a scorcher into the back of the net, and after the Oaks were kept of the scoreboard for the first 80 minutes and change, Menlo came away with two goals in the span of just 40 seconds to take a dramatic 2-1 lead. 

After the score, the Oaks appeared to be on their way to their third win of the season with just a shade over nine minutes remaining in the tilt.  Menlo's defense stood strong as precious minutes ticked away for Marymount, but ultimately the Oaks could not complete the final transaction. 

With only 2:49 left in the match, the Mariners' Sergio Torres roped one off the crossbar that bounced onto the Wunderlich Field turf, and for a few brief moments Menlo was breathing a huge sigh of relief.  However, eventually referees Paul Busi, Rob Schreiber, and Saba Sathya ruled that the ball did indeed cross the goal line, and just like that Marymount knotted the score at 2-2. 

The heated affair entered overtime where the Oaks continued their offensive barrage.  In the first overtime both Cota and senior mid-fielder Hugo Conchas had two legitimate attempts that were knocked away by Voglis, and then in the second OT, Cota compiled the greatest chance of all in the contest's additional 20 minutes.  The junior forward snuck past the Mariners' defense having just the keeper to beat, but Voglis dashed forward, collided with Cota, and the shot went begging. 

Menlo outshout Marymount 17-8, including 14-5 in the shots on goal department.  Oaks goalkeeper Alex Palomarez made three saves in the draw, while Voglis was forced to make 10 stops, and the Mariners' defense an additional pair. 

Eric Angell topped all players on the pitch with three total points, and after the game the senior from Redwood City harped on the match's intensity.  "It was a high pressure kind of game, but it's good to have a test like this early on," said Angell.  "It was actually a lot of fun to play in, and who knows we might face Marymount at some point later in the year." 

The Oaks will have a week and a half off before returning to action against #17 Biola University on Saturday, September 22^nd.  Kickoff is slated for 4:00pm at Wunderlich Field.