Photo by Brendan Sweany
Wichita, Kan. – The McPherson College men's soccer team fell in the KCAC conference tournament semi-finals to Oklahoma Wesleyan 2-1.
The Bulldogs went toe to toe with the KCAC's top team and the number two team in the NAIA, playing arguably their best game of the season. The Eagles have been a juggernaut this season, and just two and a half weeks ago shut out the Bulldogs 8 nil down in Bartlesville.
The Bulldogs were locked in from the first whistle and played virtually mistake free. The times when they had a miscue they were able to quickly recover, keeping the Eagles in front of them. The only major flaw came at the 21:00 mark of the first half. OKWU's Luka Lucic took a shot from the right side, and as Fabio Nikel tried to clear the ball it deflected off his foot and went to Colby Swift's left as he was leaning right and found the back of the net.
The rest of the first half was a stalemate and the Bulldogs went into the break trailing the Eagles 1-0. The Bulldogs didn't do a lot of subbing in the opening half, with at least 8 of the 11 starters playing all 45 minutes. The question entering the second half would be whether the Bulldogs' legs would hold out.
The Bulldogs answered that question by playing another brilliant half of soccer. They continued to defend at a really high level, but also pressed the attack. Late in the half, they finally broke through. Austin Cuevas played a ball from the right side, into the far post. Sam Box was there waiting and headed the ball back across the goal beating the OKWU goal keeper giving the Bulldogs the equalizer.
Neither team was able to find the net in the final minutes of regulation sending the game into an overtime session. In the first overtime period, the Bulldogs' run came to an end. Less than two minutes in, the Eagles found the game winner on a perfectly placed shot side net.
Swift faced eight shots on goal, coming away with six saves.
"I am very proud of our guys today," said Bulldog head coach Doug Quint. "We put our best foot forward and gave ourselves a chance. At the end of the day that is all you can ask for as a coach."
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 11-7 overall. Now their fate is in the hands of the NAIA selection committee. They will find out next Monday if they will receive an at-large bid to the NAIA opening round tournament.
