California Baptist University
Holy Names University (Calif.)
UN-HOLY ENDING
11/21/2010 12:57:00 AM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- All year, California Baptist University has relied upon its defense, and for good reason.
It's been like a brick wall as the Lancers set a program-record with 10 shutouts and only gave up 12 goals in 19 games.
Holy Names, though, wasn't bothered.
The 11th-seed Lancers conceded three goals for the first time all year, all three goals on high quality shots, and the unseeded Hawks stunned the Lancers, 3-1, in the 2010 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round on a rain-soaked Lancer Field Saturday.
"When you concede three goals, that's a problem," said CBU Head Coach Ryan Jorden. "We haven't done that all year. We just weren't good enough defensively, and when it's all said and done, we allowed them to have chances, and credit to them, they took them and scored three unbelievable goals."
After two straight seasons of losing to GSAC opponents in the opening round, the Hawks move onto the round of 16 and the final site in Mobile, Ala., with just their second national tournament victory ever.
The Lancers' storybook season comes to a heartbreaking end at 15-5. CBU set program high-water marks for wins (15) and shutouts (10) and picked up their first-ever national ranking, first-ever postseason win and made their first-ever national tournament appearance. Indeed, it was by far the best season in program history.
"We were in the top 20 the whole year, set a boatload of program records and anytime you can win 15 games, that's pretty good," said Jorden. "It was a great year."
Still, it was cut shorter than expected by a team that had the lowest Modified RPI in the NAIA's 31-team national tournament field.
In their first national tournament game in program history, the Lancers were a bit slow out of the gate and didn't get their first shot until the 24th minute.
Then, less than two minutes after being inserted into the game, Zlatko Tomic struck. The 6-4 Croatian, wiggled through a pair of Lancer defenders and ripped a right-footed rocket from about 35 yards out that knuckled, bobbed, weaved and zipped past a diving Joey Pacheco to give the Hawks a surprising 1-0 lead.
They carried the one-goal advantage into the intermission and then went up two goals in the 48th minute. Roberto Zevallos got a loose ball at the top of the 18 yard box and hit it solid. It went over Pacheco and banged off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
Just four minutes later, though, the Lancers cut the deficit in half and seemingly snagged momentum when David Salguero, who was all over the field winning balls and coming up with big tackles, got onto a ball in the box that got behind Larsen. Salguero tapped in his first goal of the year in the 52nd minute. Marc Hope and Osvaldo Bastida were credited with assists. It was Bastida's ninth of the year.
"David came in and gave us physical strength in the middle, which we needed," said Jorden. "He helped us get a hold of the game."
The Lancers out-shot the Hawks, 17-14, including a 13-8 advantage in the second half, but they hit everything but the back of the net. They hit a post and a crossbar, the Hawks saved a ball off the line, and keeper Lars Johansen came up with five second half saves, most of them of the diving variety after the Lancers ripped a handful of shots that seemed headed for paydirt.
"We got a lot of balls into dangerous areas, but we weren't ever able to hammer it in goal," said Jorden. "We hit everything but the back of the net."
With Johansen's big saves and help from the woodwork, the Hawks were able to keep the Lancers at bay, and then they put the game away with a 74th minute goal. Johansen sent a punt into the Lancers' half. Diego Orellana ran onto it, beat his defender and poked it past Pacheco into the side netting to ice the game.
It was the first time in 20 games this year the Lancers gave up three goals.
"We weren't able to overcome our defensive mistakes," said Jorden. "Unfortunately, in the playoffs when you drive one into the top corner that could very well be enough and it was today. It's difficult to play from behind."
