Nov. 13, 2009

Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Mere moments away from its 10th win of the season and an almost assured position in the driver's seat for an NCAA Tournament berth, LMU was victimized by two late goals in regulation, settling for a 2-2 draw at Santa Clara in a West Coast Conference match Friday night at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Lions (9-8-2, 4-5-2 WCC) were ahead 2-0 and a man up before the Broncos (5-9-5, 3-5-3 WCC) scored twice in the last 7:26, including the unluckiest of bounces that resulted in Santa Clara tying the game on an own goal with seven seconds remaining.

The start of the game was delayed nearly 45 minutes due to an earlier women's NCAA Tournament match that had gone into penalty kicks. When the Lions and Broncos finally took the field as the third game of the day at Buck Shaw Stadium, little did they know that their long day would get longer.

LMU took a commanding 2-0 lead in the first half behind goals from freshman Sean Sears and sophomore Logan McDaniel. Making just his second career start, Sears capped a dominant opening 15 minutes for the Lions with his first career goal off feeds from McDaniel and sophomore Artur Jozkowicz. After LMU recorded the game's first three shots, Sears put the visitors ahead at 13:29 when he took a lead pass from Jozkowicz and beat Santa Clara goalie Naushad Godrej.

The Lions would double their lead nine minutes from halftime on McDaniel's second goal of the year. Sophomores Tyler Krumpe and Phil Da Silva provided the build-up, finding McDaniel 15 yards out. Godrej had no chance on McDaniel's shot as the Lions headed into the locker room two goals up. The first half was all LMU as the Lions held an 8-3 shot advantage.

With 45 minutes separating them from their first 10-win season since 2004, things got even better for the Lions in the 78th minute when SCU's Ryan Brown was shown a straight red card, giving LMU a man advanage for the final 11:23. Yet, that is when things started to turn in the Broncos' favor.

As to be expected from the Lions, the ending would not come without some drama. Eight of the team's 11 conference games have been decided by a single goal and all of LMU's wins this year have come by a single tally. So when Erik Hurtado pulled a goal back for the Broncos with 7:26 left, it ensured that the final few minutes would be action-packed.

SCU pushed forward looking for the equalizer while the Lions tried to keep the ball as far away from end net as possible. LMU won a corner with 1:46 left that seemed to seal the game but enough seconds could not tick off and the Broncos were able to counter-attack. SCU won a corner kick with 24 seconds remaining, leading to one of the most unimaginable scenarios possible. As Kellen Wantulok's corner was swung in, two LMU players went for it. The ball caromed off of one and into the net for an own goal with just seven ticks on the clock.

LMU's only other tie this year had come against the Broncos so it was only fitting that they would play more soccer as the clock struck 11 p.m. Santa Clara had the better run of play in the first overtime with two shots to LMU's one but the Lions went all-out in the second OT, pounding four shots at the Broncos in 10 minutes. None were able to penetrate the goal, however.

Senior goalkeeper Patrick Sampson, coming off of his WCC Player of the Week award, made three saves for the Lions. Godrej also stopped three shots for the Broncos, who held a slim 18-16 shot advantage.

While a victory over the Broncos would have put the Lions in prime position for their first NCAA bid since 2004, they still have much to play for in Sunday's season finale at Saint Mary's at 1 p.m. Sitting in third place in the WCC, the Lions cannot catch the second-place Gaels, just as the Gaels cannot catch the newly-crowned champions San Diego. However, LMU is assured of finishing at or above .500 for the year, which would make it eligible for a postseason at-large bid. Additionally, the Lions' RPI of 15 is the second-best in the conference (behind San Diego), and should be high enough for a good look from the selection committee regardless of the outcome. Reaching 10 victories would also help LMU's chances, while the Lions are aided by a 3-3-0 record against ranked teams, including two victories over top-10 foes in #6 UC Santa Barbara and #5 Dartmouth. The NCAA selection show is Monday.