Men's soccer suffers heartbreaking loss
By Curtis Brooks Sports Editor
November 29, 2012
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| Photo by Hillary Akers |
| Junior Daniel Bogut dribbles the ball up the field looking for an open teammate in a game earlier this season. Bogut scored his first goal of the season on Nov. 8 in a victory over Mars Hill. |
For the first time since the 2005 campaign, the Black and Gold soccer team qualified for the NCAA Tournament in St. Augustine, Fla., as the sixth and final seed in the Southeast Regional.
After a late comeback victory against Mars Hill, on Nov. 8, in the opening round of the 2012 edition of the tournament, the Braves were eliminated from the tournament by Peach Belt Conference rival Flagler after losing the decisive penalty shootout on Nov. 10.
The Braves finished with 12 victories on the season, a career high for head coach Phil Hindson.
Mars Hill
The Braves survived against Mars Hill on Nov. 8 in the first round of the NCAA tournament after being down a pair of goals for a majority of the game. The Black and Gold stormed back in the final 10 minutes with a trio of goals en route to a 3-2 victory.The two sides had met on Oct. 16 in another closely contested battle that finished in a scoreless tie.
The Lions took control of the game in the 36th minute when sophomore midfielder Alex Mullen headed an overhead pass from teammate Felipe Ferraro into the back of the net as they took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Mars Hill scored their final goal of the game in the 51st minute when senior Alex Mullen collected a cross and placed his shot into the upper right corner of the goal to give the Lions a 2-0 lead over the Braves.
In the 80th minute, the Braves were finally able to put a point on the scoreboard with assistance from the opposition, when a Lions' defender scored a own goal while attempting to clear the ball from inside the box.
Just a few minutes later, junior Daniel Bogut tied the game at two apiece after collecting a rebound and beating Lions' net minder Zac Scott.
In the ensuing overtime period, it took the Black and Gold just over two minutes to secure its first playoff victory since 2004, when junior Martin Tomter scored the Golden Gold to give the Braves a 3-2 victory.
"We were disappointed to be down 2-0 because we didn't think we deserved to be down. We went through a lull throughout the first period, but then the guys opened the door and started creating chances," Hindson said.
"The keeper made some really good saves, and they had a couple good shots off the line. Then when we got the first goal, I think the guys really sensed blood. Then we got the second score, and I really thought we could win," Hindson continued.
Flagler
Junior goalkeeper Ryan Hanson led the Black and Gold on Nov. 10 in a losing effort as the Braves lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to Flagler.Hanson anchored the Black and Gold with a dozen saves and didn't concede a goal as the Saints ripped off 27 shots.
In the penalty shootout, the Saints converted on all of their four attempts while the Braves were only able to get a pair of conversions from junior Brett Luccia and senior Michael Smith.
Flagler forwards Johnny Cosgrove and Joseph Toby led the host team's offensive efforts as they each recorded six shots for the Saints.
"The guys gave an unbelievable amount of effort in the game, and we have made great progress this year," Hinson said.
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