ERIE, Pa. - Gannon and Ashland used to have one of the best men's soccer rivalries when the two schools squared off as Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) members. Things have definitely not changed with Gannon's different conference affiliation. The two programs locked horns Friday night for the first time in four years and battled to a scoreless, double-overtime tie in front of 145 chilly fans at Gannon University Field.

In the first match-up since Gannon moved to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in 2008, it was like the good old days. The two squads played a tight, physical match that featured 44 fouls and three yellow cards.

Gannon held a slight 6-5 edge in shots during the first 45 minutes, before Ashland captured the shot advantage by an 8-4 count in the second half.

Both teams had several scoring chances in the second half. Gannon's Robbie Bennett (Durban, South Africa/St. Benedict School) drilled a shot off the crossbar in the 53rd minute to start the string of near misses.

Play became extremely intense late in the second half and during both overtime sessions. The best opportunity of the night for either team came in 83rd minute when Ashland's J.P. Lytle got behind the defense. Gannon goalkeeper Michael Kickel (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) was forced to come out and made a diving save on Lytle's breakaway at the top of the box.

The visitors kept the pressure on during the final minutes of regulation, getting four shots off and taking three corner kicks in the final eight minutes. Ashland almost dented the scoreboard again with 1:15 left in regulation, but Kenny Hewitt's attempt rung off the far post.

The first overtime period didn't have many great scoring opportunities, but it did feature a key moment. Ashland goalkeeper Justin Nolan was cut open when he collided with Gannon's Faycal Benjelloun (Rabat, Morocco/Lycee Descartes) in the 94th minute. The two players remained on the ground for a period of time, before Nolan was replaced with Kurt Innes.

Innes was tested early and often in the second overtime session. Austin Miller (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) had the first crack, but sailed a header off a crossing pass just high in the 105th minute. Sean Washek (Fairview, Pa./Cathedral Prep) then appeared to beat the new goalkeeper less than a minute later, but his blast from 40 yards out hit off the crossbar.

Twenty-four seconds later, it was Ashland's turn. But Andrew Iden's shot just missed over the crossbar.

Gannon had the final scoring opportunity with less than two minutes left. Marnix van der Donk's (The Hague, Netherlands/Maerlant Lyceum) corner kick got through the box to Mario Gastaldo (Chesterland, Ohio/West Geauga) on the left side. The senior redirected the shot with a solid header, but Innes made the save to keep the teams deadlocked.

Ashland out-shot Gannon 18-13 and held a 10-6 edge in corner kicks. The Eagles held slight advantages in shots (5-3) and corner kicks (3-1) during the two overtime sessions.

Kickel recorded five saves while posting his first shutout of the season. Nolan had four saves in 94 minutes, before Innes turned away one shot in 16 minutes of relief action. Friday's scoreless tie was Gannon's first since August 30, 2009 when the Golden Knights and Seton Hill Griffins failed to score at Gannon University Field.

Gannon, ranked 10th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Atlantic regional rankings, moved to 3-4-1 overall with Friday's tie. Ashland is now 2-4-2 overall. The Golden Knights conclude a weekend double-dip Sunday, September 25 against Urbana at Gannon University Field. The non-conference match is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For a complete box score from Friday's Gannon-Ashland men's soccer match, please click here.