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Printer-Friendly ModeMen drop 2-0 game to Wolves, but make playoffs
October 29, 2007 —
The men's soccer team dropped a disappointing 2-0 decision against Northwood on Saturday, ending the team's recording-breaking winning streak that saw them mow down seven consecutive opponents (five of them GLIAC teams) and post the best season in team history, going 9-6-1, with a 6-3 record in the conference.
Defense dominated the first half of the game, with the Cards holding Northwood's offense to a paltry one shot on goal. Senior keeper Eric Carnes was forced off his line only once in the entire first half of the game, courtesy of Northwood's Filip Dabovic in the 44th minute.
But Northwood's net was just as tight - despite logging 10 shots, the Cardinals couldn't penetrate Timberwolves keeper William Eberhardt's net. Junior forward Brent Walker and senior midfielder Jimmy Henry both forced Eberthardt off his line in the first half, but the Cards couldn't convert on either attempt.
The men started off the second half in a fashion reminiscent of their games last season: they immediately found themselves behind a goal and were forced to claw away at a deficit. Northwood forward Brett Dutcher put the Timberwolves up one minute and 14 seconds into the second half with an unassisted goal, and his teammate junior midfielder Art Neilson made it a one-two punch with another unassisted goal in the 48th minute.
The Cards couldn't recover from Northwood's goalscoring blitz, but came close to evening it up when sophomore forward Kevin Fox forced Eberhardt to make a crucial save in the 54th minute.
Fox's shot was the only meaningful offense the Cards would muster until the end of the game, when Henry nearly scored on a header in the 88th minute. Senior keeper gave SVSU's offense plenty of chances, too, saving three shots throughout the second half.
The loss drops the Cards to 10-7-1 on the season - still the team's best-ever record - and 6-4 in the GLIAC. After a non-conference game against West Virginia's Seton Hill tomorrow at 4 p.m., the cards kick off the GLIAC tournament, which they finally earned a berth in. The first playoff match takes place on Thursday, but SVSU's scheduled opponent was unavailable as of press time.
The win brings the Timberwolves to 8-6-2 on the season and 5-3-1 in the conference. The tournament will pit Gannon, SVSU, Northwood and Mercyhurst against one another.