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Saturday, October 5, 2002 |
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(Through Monday, October 28) |
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The Cardinals are coming off a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to No. 8 Gustavus Tuesday. … Concordia, meanwhile, dropped its third straight MIAC game Tuesday, losing to Augsburg 3-2. |
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Concordia scored a pair of goals in each half as the Cobbers extended SMU's losing streak to four games with a 4-0 victory. |
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SMU’s loss to Gustavus was its first conference loss in four games (2-1-1). … The Cardinals have not won two games in a row en route to their 3-4-2 overall record. … The Gusties’ goal with less than three minutes remaining marked the first time this season SMU has not scored the game’s first goal. … Mike Boland (Lake Zurich, Ill.) has accounted for eight of SMU’s 14 goals scored and also leads the team with 17 points. … The Cobbers’ loss to Augsburg was their first vs. the Auggies since 1988. |
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Sophomore / Goalkeeper Hometown Major |
WINONA, Minn. – Talk about a defensive battle: Three shots on goal, 17 total shots attempted, one goal.
And that was for both teams — combined.
The Saint Mary’s University men’s soccer team managed just one shot on goal during last Tuesday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game against Gustavus. And the Cardinals’ defense made life just as easy for goalkeeper Bob Endemann (Woodridge, Ill.), as the Gusties — who entered the game ranked No. 8 in the latest NCAA Division III national poll — managed just two shots on goal.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, two was one too many, as Gustavus netted the game’s only goal with less than three minutes remaining in regulation to hand the Cardinals their first conference loss of the season, 1-0.
“I thought we played pretty well — probably not as well as we played (last Saturday) against St. Thomas (a 2-0 SMU win) — but I was pleased with our effort,” said SMU coach Eric Luzzi. “Gustavus plays a very deliberate style of soccer. They slow the tempo down and don’t counter-attack as quickly as we are used to, so we had to adjust our style of play a bit.
“We knew going into the game that it was going to be a battle — and it was. It was just a matter of which team was going to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.”
The Gusties had one more opportunity than the Cardinals did — and they certainly took advantage.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the loss, but I told the guys afterwards that there was nothing for them to hang their heads about,” said Luzzi, whose team dropped to 2-1-1 in the MIAC with the loss. “Gustavus is ranked No. 8 in the country, and we gave them everything they could handle.
“Hopefully that game showed our guys what we are capable of doing when we really set our minds to it,” continued Luzzi, whose team returns to action this afternoon against Concordia. “But we also can’t sit back and be satisfied with the way we’ve been playing lately. We’ve got to put all our focus into playing at that same high level Saturday (against Concordia).”