Grace (0-0-1) battled back twice to tie the game -- once in each the first and second halves -- and the two teams fought to a 2-2 tie at the Galowich YMCA field in west Joliet.

USF junior college transfer Thimi Sinjari (Morton West H.S./Berwyn, IL) put the Saints (0-0-1) ahead in the game's ninth minute with an unassisted goal from 45 feet in front of the net. Grace battled back to tie the game before halftime, evening the score on a goal in the 36th minute.

The Saints jumped ahead again in the second half when sophomore Ryan O'Rourke (Minooka H.S./Joliet, IL) took a feed from freshman Victor Trujillo (De La Salle Institute/Chicago, IL) and knocked it into the upper right-hand corner of the net with just a little over 20 minutes to play.

USF was unable to hold on to the lead, though, as Grace secured the tying goal with less than nine minutes left on the game clock.

Sophomore goalkeeper Bobby Markatos (Stagg H.S./Palos Hills, IL) played the first 74 minutes for USF and registered 5 saves. That save total included an outstanding stop on a Grace penalty kick from about 20 feet in front of the USF net late in the first half.

Freshman Mike Moberg (Lyons Township H.S./Western Springs, IL) manned the net for the final 16 minutes and was in goal when Grace scored the tying marker.

USF outsthot Grace overall by a 19-11 margin but Grace managed one more shot on goal than USF as it had 8 and the Saints had 7.

USF travels to Somers, Wis., Friday afternoon for a 4 p.m. non-conference contest at NCAA Division II Wisconsin-Parkside.