Pride open Heart play with home draw against Mount Mercy

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Returning to game action for the first time in nine days and hosting their first home game of the 2022 season, Clarke University men's soccer couldn't hold onto a pair of one-goal leads on Tuesday night in a 2-2 draw against Mount Mercy University.

CU struck first as Kabasele Musengo scored his second goal in as many games getting the Pride out to a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute as that advantage would hold into halftime.

It did not take long into the second half for the Mustangs to score their first of two equalizers as Yuhei Matsushita tied it up at 1-1 in the 47th minute.

About 10 minutes later in the game, Luke Persenico scored his team-leading fifth goal in the 57th minute as he cleaned up a loose ball near in the box as fired it into an open net following a strong hustle play from Musengo after Jose Gomez sprung Musengo for a run as Gomez finished with two assists on the night.

This time quick to equalize, still in the 57th minute Matsushita assisted on Itsuki Ishihara's goal to tie the game at 2-2 as a the Pride thought at the moment an offsides should have been called on Ishihara.

Both sides had close calls down the final stretch, none closer than a free kick shot attempt with 23 seconds left from just outside that box from Takumi Semba that went off of the corner of the cross bar and post keeping the score tied at 2-2.

Clarke will now focus their attention to a Saturday matchup against current NAIA No. 1 ranked Central Methodist University at the Eagles will visit Burrows Field for a 1:00 p.m. CT matchup.