HICKORY, NC – Francis Marion University scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes, but Lenoir-Rhyne University countered with three unanswered scores and the two squads battled through scoreless overtime periods to settle for a 3-3 tie, Thursday night (Sept. 1) in men's college soccer action.

FMU (0-0-1) will play its home opener on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. when the Patriots entertain the University of Mount Olive.  Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Freshman Lee Northfield opened Francis Marion's 2016 campaign with a third-minute goal. He received a cross from freshman Mathias Hjort and then turned and fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal.

Sophomore Oliver Drakenhammar doubled the margin to 2-0 when he scored off a Mathew Bainbridge assist at the 16:42 mark.  Junior Harrison Smith converted a penalty kick in the 25th minute to up the Patriot advantage to 3-0.

However, Lenoir-Rhyne countered with its first score only 26 seconds after Smith's PK.  The Bears trimmed the margin to 3-2 at the 57:46 mark and knotted the score on a Marc Fernandez tally at 59:02.

FMU sophomore Jonathan Mannes manned the goal for the Patriots and recorded seven saves.  Lenoir-Rhyne's Zach King also registered seven stops in goal.  The Bears outshot the Patriots 26-18 while each team took six corner kicks.

Francis Marion registered two shots in each of the overtime sessions with Smith and Drakenhammar each forcing a save by King.

The final 3-3 score is the highest-scoring deadlock for the Patriots in 13 seasons dating back to a 3-3 tie at Belmont Abbey College on Sept. 25, 2004.