ABOVE: Fairmont's Marco Morales Chavez fires a shot on Cannon Falls goalkeeper Gunnar Maki in a nonconference soccer game on Saturday in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Cardinals boys soccer team took on Cannon Falls in a nonconference soccer game Saturday that ended in a 4-4 tie courtesy of a late rally by the Cardinals.

“I would say the game against Marshall was a little bit more physical,” said Fairmont boys soccer head coach Brady Meyer. “We weren’t playing as solid, I would say, or strong as we were in the previous game.”

The scoring opened in the first half for the Bombers just 22 seconds into the game off of a direct shot from Luke Fimmen. The Cardinals responded quickly with their first shot on goal coming off the boot of Luis Martin from the left hand side of the goal going just wide. Fairmont continued its attack, crowding the box until Dani Castillo connected with Marco Morales Chavez for the equalizer in the 17th minute.

The Bombers regained the lead in the bottom of the half off of a Fimmen goal that found its way underneath Goalkeeper Brody Deuel. The Cardinal attack continued to look promising, with a Martin shot that had to be saved by bombers keeper Gunnar Maki. In the 12th minute the Bombers struck again, getting behind the Cardinals’ defenders to set up Isaac Van Slyke for a goal.

Jackson Bremmer found himself alone in the box but missed just high, sending the ball over the crossbar. In the fourth minute the Cardinals pulled within one courtesy of a Ricardo Morales Herrera goal assisted by Castillo to close out the half 3-2.

The Bombers wasted no time extending their lead in the second half, with Van Slyke again finding his way through the Cardinal defense for his second goal of the day. Despite the early goal, the Cardinals didn’t retreat and Luis Martin bounced a shot off the crossbar and narrowly missed the net in the 27th minute. In the 25th minute the Cardinals were saved by a delayed offsides call when Van Slyke again found his way through the defense and tucked one by Deuel.

The bottom half of the second became a physical affair with both teams exchanging hard fouls as frustrations boiled over. The Cardinals continued to find opportunities on goal but kept finding Maki rather than the back of the net until a Chavez goal in the 71st minute brought the Cardinals back within one. The late goal energized the Cardinals’ offense, which almost immediately knocked in the fourth goal courtesy of Herrera in the 72nd minute to tie the game at 4-4. Goalkeeper Brody Deuel took a hard hit in the 72nd minute, prompting a change that brought in Vaughn Thompson to help the Cardinals close out the match.

The Cardinals continued to pressure the Bombers defense in the last five minutes of the game, firing shot after shot at the Bombers keeper but were unable to find the go-ahead goal.

Fairmont’s next game is at Worthington on Tuesday.