OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. - The Roberts Wesleyan men's soccer team came to a 1-1 draw against  NYIT in their East Coast Conference opener on Saturday after a suspenseful double overtime bout.
 
After a goalless first half, the Bears opened the score line in the 49^th minute when Bernd Schuler managed to weave around defenders and squeeze a shot just past the Roberts goalkeeper into the lower left side of the net.
 
Moments later in the 57^th minute, Roberts midfielder Terrell Spencer scored the equalizer when he went one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper and fired the shot into the top left corner. 
 
The overtime periods proved to be a battle in both ends of the field as NYIT and Roberts fought every second to secure a victory. The Redhawks almost managed to sneak in a last minute goal in the second overtime period when a perfectly timed pass from freshman Dylan Ruiz met the feet of Spencer. Spencer lined up a shot, but was blocked by the NYIT goalkeeper, making its way to sophomore Tariq Michael. His shot on goal went wide as time expired. 

"We missed a lot of opportunities today," said head coach Scott Reber. "We had our chances but just didn't capitalize. We've been flat the last couple of games so we at least took some steps in the right direction."
 
The Redhawks ended the game with 14 shots and seven of them on goal. Senior goalkeeper Ben Hastings played the entire game and had seven saves.
 
Roberts Wesleyan (2-1-3) will face Seton Hill University in their next game on the road in Greensburg, Pa. This game is scheduled for Tuesday, September 18. Kickoff is at 3 p.m..