COLLIDING — Fairmont Area’s Isaiah Lockwood (15) and Southwest Minnesota Christian’s Aidan Schaap (right) collide while battling for the soccer ball during non-league play Thursday night at Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont. The Cardinals’ Douglas Garcia (3) and Jorvik Jensen (5) look on. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Prince Lebbi came off the bench to provide the spark Fairmont Area boys soccer team needed to help the Cardinals pull off a 4-4 tie against the Southwest Minnesota Christian Eagles at Jeffery Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont on Tuesday night.

Lebbi scored four second-half goals to help the Cardinals break out of their scoring funk they were in during their first two games of the season where they scored only one goal total.

“We just talked about what was working at halftime,” Fairmont head coach Brady Meyer said. “I wanted to focus on what was working and not what wasn’t working. We played better in the second half.”

Lebbi scored an unassisted goal at the 33:39 mark to cut the Cardinals’ deficit in half.

SWMC came back to take a 3-1 lead after Caleb Raak tallied an unassisted goal at the 22:48 mark of the second half. His shot from 20 yards out just made it over Fairmont goalie Jack Kosbab’s outstretched hands and into the upper right corner of the net.

Once again, it was Lebbi who scored to tighten things up. His unassisted tally with 18:45 left in the second half made it a 3-2 game.

Lebbi’s penalty kick with 13:47 left tied it at 3-3 and he scored the go-ahead goal at the 9:36 mark of the second half, assisted by Angel Sanchez.

The Eagles were able to get the tying goal with only 2:43 left in the second half as Aidan Schaap’s tally came unassisted.

Neither team could push across a goal in either of the overtime sessions, leaving the game tied 4-4.

Fairmont Area goalie Jack Kosbab was up to the challenge, making a difficult save off Grant Busker’s point-blank shot during the final 10 minutes of the second half and he made another save off a Busker point-blank shot in the second overtime.

The Cardinals were outplayed in the first half as the Eagles’ Clayton Blankers and Busker scored unassisted goals at the 30:15 and 26:45 mark of the openening half to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Fairmont Area (0-2-1) plays host to Mankato Loyola at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Kot Soccer Complex.

“We have played three pretty tough teams to open our season,” Meyer said. “Our conference has some tough teams, so our schedule doesn’t get any easier.”

SWMC 2-2-0-0–4

Fairmont 0-4-0-0–4

Scoring Plays

1st Half

SWMC — Clayton Blankers (unassisted) 30:15.

SWMC — Grant Busker (unassisted) 26:45.

2nd Half

FMT — Prince Lebbi (unassisted) 33:39.

SWMC — Caleb Raak (unassisted) 22:48.

FMT — Prince Lebbi (unassisted) 18:45.

FMT — Prince Lebbi (penalty kick) 13:47.

FMT — Prince Lebbi (Angel Sanchez) 9:36.

SWMC — Aidan Schaap (unassisted) 2:43.

Shots-on-goal: Fairmont Area 8-14-2-0–24; SWMC 11-13-1-2–27.

Saves: Jarett Kuipers (SWMC) 8; Jack Kosbab (FMT) 12.

•

Girls Soccer

Waseca 3, Fairmont Area 2 – Samantha Azure netted the only goal of the second half to help the Bluejays squeeze by the Cardinals, 3-2, during Big South action Tuesday in Waseca.

Azure collected her second goal of the game by finding the twine on an unassisted blast with 10:27 remaining in regulation.

Elayna Anderson staked Fairmont Area to a 1-0 lead by finding the net off an assist from Anna Utermarck with 7:13 remaining in the opening half.

Thyme Lang and Azure, however, countered within a 19-second span to swing a 2-1 margin to Waseca. Lang kicked home the tying goal at the 3:43 juncture before Azure booted the go-ahead score at the 3:24 mark.

Utermarck then knotted the scoreboard at 2-all by scoring the equalizing goal off a pass from Emma Scheppmann with 3:03 left before intermission.

Madi Schomberg produced a game-best 17 saves between the pipes for the Cardinals, while Ella Bulfer netted the win by registering 14 stops.

Fairmont Area (1-2) travels to Mankato Loyola on Thursday.

Elsa Thompson produced one goal and one assist, while goalkeeper Mary Bennett pitched a shutout to steer Fairmont Area to a 2-0 victory over Waseca during junior varsity action Tuesday in Waseca.

Bennett made eight saves, while Thompson dealt an assist to Madi Pluim for the Cardinals’ initial goal. Thompson later scored a goal off a pass from Abbie Simpson.