EDWARDSVILLE, PA (September 16, 2025)— King's College men's soccer came within minutes of victory before a last-gasp equalizer in the 89th minute forced a 1-1 draw with Wilkes University on Tuesday night. The tie is the second in the last three games for the Monarchs as they move to 2-2-2 while the Colonels now sit at 1-3-2 on the year.

King's battled through a physical and tightly contested first half against Wilkes, with both teams trading fouls and offside calls in a scoreless opening 45 minutes. The Monarchs were flagged offside three times in the first 25 minutes, while Wilkes generated several chances, including shots from Nick Romas, Landon Kelly, and Kendall Heck—all of which missed the target.

The Monarchs responded with attempts from Mark Atherton, Luke Ferre, and Jackson Nuttall, but none found the frame. The half featured a flurry of fouls and three yellow cards—two issued simultaneously at the 26:30 mark to Heck and Philip Permyashkin, and another to Wilkes' Elhadji Kallo in the 44th minute.

The Monarchs broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when Evan Corcoran found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career to take a 1-0 lead. King's searched for an insurance goal with shots from Costantino Villano, Philip Permyashkin, Santiago Javadpour, and Christian Rua, but Wilkes keeper Matthew Conti made several saves to keep the match within reach.

Wilkes responded with a late surge, earning a penalty kick in the 88th minute after a foul in the box. Ben Van Valkenburg made a clutch save on the initial attempt, but Grant Gerstner pounced on the rebound seconds later to level the score.

The final moments were tense, with fouls and yellow cards flying, but neither side could find a winner before the final whistle.

Corcoran paced King's offensively with his goal while Permyashkin led King's with two shots on goal. Rua was the only other Monarch with a shot on goal.

Van Valkenburg tallied three saves on the night as the Monarch defense turned away nearly every opportunity for the Colonels, including a 7-1 deficit in corner kicks that underscored Wilkes' attacking pressure. Despite the imbalance, King's back line held firm, with Van Valkenburg anchoring a disciplined defensive effort that kept Wilkes off the board until the final 90 seconds.

King's men's soccer is set to play again on Saturday, September 20, as the Monarchs host Neumann University at McCarthy Stadium with first touch at 7:30 PM.