DAYTON – The Wright State men's soccer team battled back to tie the score twice on Saturday afternoon on the way to a 3-3 draw against St. Francis (PA) in the Raiders' home opener at Alumni Field.
 
Wright State (0-1-2) tallied all three goals in the first half, capped by Reece Allbaugh's strike from distance moments before the halftime horn and lead 3-2 at the break, but St. Francis (1-0-2) scored an early second half goal in the 51st minute to pull even in what turned out to be the final score of the afternoon.
 
St. Francis jumped ahead early in the sixth minute on Mike Chiha's goal before the Raiders found a transition goal from Brock Pickett, thanks to an assist from Roman Kedgley, in the 24th minute to knot the score. A scramble in front of the Raider goalbox in the 34th minute resulted in a goal from St. Francis' Alvaro Planas that just crossed the goal line.
 
The Raiders again responded, first in the 38th minute when Allbaugh's transition shot was saved and the deflection found Uche Odemena and he buried the ball in the open net to tie the score, then with 17 seconds left before the half Allbaugh's rocket gave Wright State the halftime lead. The halftime advantage was short, with Joschi Schelb tying the game six minutes after the break after a giveaway by the Raider defense.
 
Wright State finished the afternoon with a 14-7 shot advantage, with Allbaugh's four attempts a match-high, while Pickett also had two attempts.
 
The Raiders now head back out on the road for their next two contests, including the Horizon League opener at IUPUI next Saturday in Indianapolis. Kickoff for that match is set for 3 p.m. and it is expected to be streamed on ESPN+.