The Beta Gamma Delta Patriots played the Epsilon Zeta Chi Tornadoes Monday night in an 11 vs. 11 game where two historic rivals looked to gain the upper hand. At the game’s conclusion, Beta outplayed the Tornadoes and went on to win 4-2.

It was Beta’s sophomore Derek Doran who struck first, scoring a goal within three minutes of the game’s opening kick. Doran’s quick goal seemed to set the pace for the Patriots, who then dominated the rest of the first half. Just two minutes later, postgraduate Eric Dickinson set up senior Mark Sterr who put a shot into the back of the net, giving Beta a 2-0 lead five minutes into the half.

While Z’s offense was looking for answers, the Patriots kept on pressuring the defense, looking to extend their lead. The aggressiveness paid off, as Dickinson scored a goal of his own less than four minutes after his assist, extending the Patriots’ margin to three and claiming all the momentum along with it.

Fortunately for the Tornadoes, they were able to find some offensive chemistry and began to pressure Beta’s defense. With 10 minutes left in the half, freshman Coltan Schiefer maneuvered his way through the Patriot defenders and fired a goal that found the net, putting Z on the board and reducing the deficit to 3-1.

The relief was temporary though, as the Patriots seemed to be more aggressive after the Tornado score, shooting relentlessly on Z’s goal. Zeta Chi’s defense held up well and cleared several close calls. Three minutes before the halftime break however, it was once again Sterr who powered past the Tornado line and drove in another goal to increase the lead, 4-1.

The second half went much better for the Tornadoes, as they held Beta scoreless the entire half. Although the Patriots kept up the pressure and rocketed several shots toward the goal, none of them fell in and Z started looking for opportunities to capitalize. Senior Warren Vergiels showed a strong presence for Zeta Chi, doing his part to move the ball toward Beta’s side of the field. Although he never scored, Vergiels consistently tried the Patriot defense and fired several shots on goal.

With seven minutes remaining in regulation and both teams looking exhausted, Zeta Chi’s Schiefer tore down the field and, after beating the goalkeeper to the ball, tapped in a wide-open goal to cut the lead to two.

Neither Z nor the Patriots would score for the remainder of the game, and the Patriots pulled out the 4-2 victory to improve to 3-1-1.