Parma Western varsity boys soccer opened its season Thursday night against the Portage Northern Huskies in a hard-fought, evenly matched contest. Both teams created quality chances throughout the first half, but neither was able to find the back of the net, sending the game into halftime tied 0-0. Early in the second half, Portage Northern broke through first, capitalizing on a rebound to take a 1-0 lead. Western responded about 10 minutes later when senior Samuel Heydenburg delivered a dangerous left-footed cross into the box. Senior Luke Herrington headed the ball down, and sophomore Peyton Munz finished the attack with a tap-in to tie the game 1-1 and record his first varsity goal for Western. The Huskies continued to threaten, but Western goalkeeper Jefferson Merrild came up with several outstanding saves to keep the game level. Western nearly found a dramatic winner in the closing seconds when the Panthers were awarded a free kick with about 10 seconds remaining. Heydenburg struck the ball cleanly and came close to converting the last-second opportunity, but the game ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw. Western will look to build on a strong opening performance this weekend at the Battle for Jackson tournament, where the Panthers are scheduled to play three games Saturday.