LITTLETON — All Jordan Eshbach could do was watch the final 34 minutes with the rest of the crowd.
The Liberty junior had been ejected from Saturday’s boys soccer game with Heritage at Littleton Public Schools Stadium because of a red card foul.
His teammates, however, didn’t waver playing a man down. Behind seven saves from goalkeeper Taylor Shepard, the fourth-ranked visiting Lancers held on for a 0-0 tie with the No. 3 Eagles.
“It was really tough because we were all fired up, mad and stuff,” Shepard said of playing a man down. “But we had to cool down enough to play our game so we don’t lose another man and play nine. It was very nerve-wracking.”
The red card was the third of four cards given to Liberty in the hard-fought contest that produced 31 fouls by the teams.
But Liberty coach Mike Goyden wasn’t about to argue about the calls. If anything, he agreed with them.
“We definitely got overly aggressive. We got beat and the guy was lazy getting back. It was the right call,” Goyden said. “I think our guys handled it pretty well after that. They may argue, but we needed to move on from it and stay focused.”
While the flow of the game was disrupted by the physical play, especially midway through the second half, both teams still managed to sneak in a shot or two.
Liberty’s offensive presence, which was all but nonexistent after Eshbach’s ejection, was on center stage in the first half.
The Lancers’ Justin Lehman drilled a left-footed shot from 12 yards out in the 14th minute right into Heritage’s Justin Tomasetti, who made one of his seven saves.
Fourteen minutes later, Jeff Chung’s header sailed wide left of the Heritage goal.
But just as quickly, the Eagles’ Isaac Witte countered with a shot from point-blank range that Shepard snared to keep the game deadlocked.
“This was two good teams playing good defense and not getting much going on top,” Heritage coach Tony Hurt said. “Their keeper made one great save in the first half and our keeper made one great save in the second.
“It was a pretty even game with two different styles. They’re more physical, especially in back, and we’re more of a possession, technical game.
“They took us out of that in the first half, but I though we played a better possession game in the second half.”
It just wasn’t enough for either team — Heritage (6-1-3) or Liberty (6-2-1) — to punch in the one goal needed to come out with a victory.
Liberty 0 0 0 0 — 0
Heritage 0 0 0 0 — 0
Goals — None.
Shots on goal — Liberty 7, Heritage 7.
Saves — Liberty (Shepard) 7, Heritage (Tomasetti) 4.
Offsides — Liberty 1, Heritage 0.
Corner kicks — Liberty 4, Heritage 3.
Fouls — Heritage 16, Liberty 15.
Yellow cards — Liberty: Lehman, Ray, Barson.
Red card — Liberty: Eshbach.
