Bulldogs Lose Heartbreaker at Home
October 26, 2007 | Men's Soccer
The Gardner-Webb men's soccer team lost a heartbreaker against
Stetson Friday night at Harvison-Greene Stadium. The Bulldogs
rallied back from a two-goal defecit to force sudden death, but
fell in OT 3-2. The team goes to 2-6 in the conference and will
need a win on Sunday to make it into the Conference Tournament.
Gardner-Webb started the match looking a little unsettled.
Stetson's fast paced attack and quick one touches had them
flustered in the first few minutes of the match. The Hatters did a
good job of controlling center part of the field and put a lot of
pressure on Gardner-Webb's back line defensemen.
With momentum forward, the Hatters pressed the ball up the right
flank. From there, they sent a cross into the left side of the box,
and it was headed into the back right netting for the first score
of the game.
Gardner-Webb had a countering oppurtunity shortly after, but Logan
Swaims shot hit off the cross bar and went sailing out of the
box.
Stetson struck again midway through the first half placing a
throughball past Gardner-Webb's Trent Kozman to put the match at
2-0. The shot hit off Kozman's gloves and went into the back right
netting.
However, Gardner-Webb did not go quietly into halftime. Instead
Richard Godfrey narrowed the match at 2-1 after his shot hit off
Stetson's goalkeeper and went into the net. Two more late
oppurtunities came for the Bulldogs by Zach Burkett and Bradley
Morrison, but Stetson's keeper denied both with diving saves. The
score would remain 2-1 in favor of the Hatters heading into
halftime.
Both teams looked fairly even during the first 10 minutes of the
second half. Morrison had another great oppurtunity from the right
side of the box, but Stetson's keeper made another diving save to
keep the match at 2-1.
Stetson began to add some pressure midway through the second half
with several quick shots in front of Gardner-Webb's goal. Kozman
did a great job and made a couple of diving saves in front of the
net. Also, Gardner-Webb's back line did an excellent job in the
second half, forcing Stetson into 10 offsides penalties.
With just a couple of minutes to go in the game, Ryan Snodgrass
came through for the Bulldogs. He found a lose ball in front of
Stetson's net and shot it through several defenders and into the
goal to tie the match at 2-2. The goal proved to be the last one in
regulation and the teams went into a sudden death overtime.
In OT, both teams were very aggressive. It was not until the last
two minutes of sudden death that either team made a breakthrough.
With 1:20 left on the clock, Stetson sent a cross into the box and
it was volleyed out of the air and past a diving Kozman to give the
Hatters the match. Gardner-Webb played an excellent match, but in
the end did not come out victorious.
The Bulldogs will host Florida Gulf Coast this Sunday at 1:30. Come
out and support the seniors as they will be honored before the
game.
