U21 Report: Aldershot 3-3 Saints (2-4 pens)
Southampton Under-21s earned a 3-3 draw against Aldershot Town in the National League Cup, before going on to claim a bonus point from the subsequent penalty shootout.
Saints went ahead three times in the game through Moses Sesay, Baylee Dipepa and Will Merry, but saw Aldershot hit back through a Hady Ghandour double either side of a Tony Nelson strike.
Goalkeeper Dylan Moody then made two important saves in the penalty shootout, meaning that Saints’ 100% conversion from 12 yards saw them take two points from the evening.
Saints made the perfect start in the game when Moses Sesay was quickest to the ball in the Aldershot area and smashed home a shot high into the net to give the visitors a fifth minute lead.
However, Aldershot were level within three minutes when Hady Ghandour scored from a corner.
A clever corner from Saints then saw them almost go ahead once again as Cameron Bragg’s delivery found Tommy Dobson-Ventura, but the centre-back’s effort was well blocked wide.
It didn’t take long for Tonda Eckert’s side to edge back ahead though with a second Saints goal arriving on 22 minutes.
Moses Sesay was again involved as he rounded home goalkeeper Pat Nash and proved unlucky to see his shot cleared off the line, but striker Baylee Dipepa was on hand to turn home on the rebound.
Despite a positive first half where they would have deserved to go into half time with a lead, Saints were pegged back just before the break when Aldershot’s Toby Nelson followed up on a rebound to make it 2-2.
Despite playing against a senior outfit, the away side emerged calm and composed into the second half and moved ahead in the game for a third time on the hour mark.
A dangerous cross into the Aldershot penalty area from Tino Goremusandu was palmed away by goalkeeper Pat Nash but the ball fell nicely for Saints man Will Merry to hook home into an empty net.
Heading into the latter stages of the game after what proved to be a tight second period overall, Dylan Moody had to be alert to stop Aldershot making it 3-3 when former Saints player James Martin curled an effort from range and forced the keeper to tip wide.
An equaliser did arrive for The Shots with 12 minutes remaining though when Maddox McMillan set up Hady Ghandour for his second of the contest, with the latter finishing smartly across goal on the turn.
Both sides saw dangerous attacks thwarted late on but the game ended level, meaning there was a chance for an extra point to be earned through a penalty shootout.
Dylan Moody proved to be the hero, making two saves to deny Aldershot whilst teammates Will Merry, Will Merry, Aston Daley, Tommy Dobson-Ventura and Walter Nutter all scored from 12 yards in a 4-2 shootout win.
Aldershot: Nash, Jackson, Anderson (Martin 69'), Gilligan (Vaughan 45'), Rai, Ghandour, Mullins, Lewis-Evans (Penney 45'), Nelson, Abrahams (McMillan 69'), Clarridge.
Subs: Dewhurst, Sell, Holley.
Goals: Ghandour (8', 78'), Nelson (40')
Yellow cards: Rai.
Saints: Moody, Merry, Moore (Vallance 80'), Dobson-Ventura, Okunola, Fry (Goremusandu 45'), Bragg, Nutter, Sesay (Whittaker 45'), Daley, Dipepa (Gathercole 65').
Subs: Fisher, Williams.
Goals: Sesay (5'), Dipepa (22'), Merry (60').
