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Cardinal Roster
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Cardinal Statistics
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Cardinal Schedule
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MIAC Standings
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MIAC Statistics
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| 2005 Final Records: 5-5-0 MIAC, 6-9-1 Overall |
| Last Week's Results: Saint Mary's 2, Bethel 1 OT / Details Saint Mary's 4, Cal State-Hayward 3 / Details UC-Santa Cruz 9, Saint Mary's 0 / Details |
| This and That: The Cardinals' 2-1 overtime win vs. Bethel was their first OT victory since a 3-2, double-overtime win over Carleton on Oct. 15, 2003. … SMU's 9-0 loss to UC-Santa Cruz snapped its season-best two-game winning streak. … After starting the season 2-7-1, the Cardinals won four of their last six games. … Mike Schmitt (Woodridge, Ill.) and Tim Bollis (Milwaukee, Wis.) each scored two goals in SMU's 4-3 win over Cal State-Hayward. … Schmitt's goals pushed his team-leading goal to a career-high 10. … Schmitt also led the team in points (22), while Andy Kozar (Libertyville, Ill.) boasted a team-best three assists. … GK Ryan O'Connor (San Diego, Calif.) played every minute of every game for the Cardinals, compiling a 2.30 goals-against-average. … SMU's nine goals against vs. UC-Santa Cruz were a season-high. … Twenty-one of the 37 goals the Cardinals allowed came in the first half. |
of highs and lows, as Cardinals win 4-3, lose 9-0
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Who's Hot?
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Tim Bollis
2 goals vs. Hayward, 3 in last 3 games |
Except for the 90 minutes they spent on the soccer field last Sunday afternoon.
The Cardinals, fresh off a 4-3 win over Cal State-Hayward on Friday, were no match for UC-Santa Cruz in SMU's season finale Sunday, as the Slugs – yes, the Slugs — were anything but slugs, scoring six first-half goals en route to a 9-0 nonconference win.
"They are a very good team – they use a ton of (ball) movement, they're creative and extremely skilled," Luzzi said of UC-Santa Cruz, which has lost just once in its 16 games (14-1-1) — and is ranked No. 10 in the latest Adidas/NSCAA Top 25 poll. "But at the same time, I think we gave them way too much respect.
"We knew (coming into Sunday's game) how good they were — we knew they were ranked high (in the latest polls)," Luzzi added. "But it should not have been a 9-0 game."
And that, more than the season-ending loss, is what bothered Luzzi most.
"It's been our Achilles heel all season — defensively, we've given up way too many goals," said Luzzi, whose team gave up 37 goals this season — an average of 2.30 goals per game. "It seems like, all season, we were trying to dig ourselves out of (early-game) holes — and in soccer, it's really tough to continually try and play catch-up."
Which is exactly what the Cardinals were doing Sunday against UC-Santa Cruz.
The Slugs scored early, and often, netting their first goal less than five minutes into the opening half, and, by the time the first half ended, the Cardinals were staring at a 6-0 hole.
"I really thought we were going to come out and put on a good show — especially after the way we played Friday (against CS-Hayward)," said Luzzi, who got two goals from both Mike Schmitt (Woodridge, Ill.) and Tim Bollis (Milwaukee, Wis.) in Friday's 4-3 victory. "Instead, we came out pretty tentative and (Santa Cruz) took advantage of that."
Despite the disappointing season-ending loss, Luzzi found plenty of bright spots in the 2005 season.
"Overall, I think we had a pretty good season," said Luzzi, whose team closed out the year with a 5-5-0 MIAC record and a 6-9-1 overall mark. "At times, we played some very good soccer, and at other times — like (against Santa Cruz) — we didn't play quite so well.
"We've got a lot of talented young players, and I'm pretty optimistic about what the future holds for us."