FT. WAYNE, Ind. -- Gavin Chura returned to his hometown and scored the University of Evansville's goal here Saturday night in the Aces' 1-1 exhibition game draw with the University of Michigan at the ShindigZ National Soccer Festival. It was the final exhibition for UE, which tied Saint Louis 1-1 and beat Cincinnati 2-1 in the previous two friendlies.
Chura, a sophomore forward and 2009 graduate of Ft. Wayne Canterbury High School, scored the first goal of the match in the 48th minute when he managed to get a foot on the ball during a scramble in front of the Wolverines' goal. Tad Kreamalmeyer was credited with the assist. But the lead lasted only until the 60th minute, when Michigan's Justin Meram tied the score with a shot from 15 yards.
Chura and
Mike Luttrull each had three shots for the Aces, helping UE finish with a 14-7 advantage in total shots, and a 7-4 edge in shots on goal.
"We had a lot of chances in the first half, and if we had finished them, it would have taken some of the pressure off," said UE Coach Mike Jacobs. "I really think all three teams we played in the pre-season are legitimate NCAA Tourney teams, so the results from that standpoint were positive, but we still need to play better for the full 90 minutes. Overall, though, it was a good pre-season. We put our guys into pressure situations against good teams, and that will help us going forward."
Evansville opens the regular season Friday against Washington at the Nike Invitational at Portland, Ore. The home opener is Sept. 10 against Alabama A&M in the opening round of the ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic.
