The Cumberland Valley Christian Blazers battled defending league champion Calvary Christian to a 1-1 tie on Tuesday in their season-opening Mason-Dixon Christian Conference boys soccer game.

“We played well for having no scrimmages or games prior to tonight,” Blazers coach Stan Hott said. “Our defense stepped up and played a very well-rounded game.”

These two teams met in last year’s MDCC championship game in which Calvary claimed a 4-1 victory, and they are expected to compete for the top two seeds again this year.

Calvary took a 1-0 lead late in the first half when Isaac Scritchfield knocked in a cross from Will Speis.

The Blazers were held scoreless until Josh Rowe scored on an assist from Ryan Winters with less than 10 minutes to play. Just a few minutes later, the Blazers had a great chance to take the lead but misfired from right in front of the net.

“After losing six seniors from last year, the underclassmen really stepped up their game,” Hott said. “Our offense struggled at times getting traction. We possessed the ball well and were able to move it with a passing percentage of 70%. We found that we have a lot to work on over the next few games.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Gabler made 10 saves for the Blazers, and Colby Mallery stopped 15 shots for the Eagles.

The Blazers host Shalom on Thursday