Nov. 15, 2008

Box Score

River Forest, IL - The Dominican University Stars fell 1-0 to the host Loras College Duhawks in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Tournament on Saturday night. The loss closes out the Stars 2008 season with an overall record of 19-3-1 after winning their third straight Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Championship.

The lone goal of the game came in the 31st minute on a header by the Duhawks' Tom Jennings off a pair of back-to-back corner kicks. The shot was just one of two shots on goal for the Duhawks in the contest with Dominican holding a 14-9 advantage in shots. The Stars put six shots on frame with the Duhawks' goalkeeper logging six saves in the winning effort.

The Stars best scoring opportunity came in the 25th minute as freshman Edwin Lagunas (Waukegan, IL), who had a goal and an assist in the Stars' 3-1 win over Rose-Hulman in the first round of the national tournament, carried the ball up the left side before sliding a pass to Matt Kochanowski (Arlington Heights, IL) in the middle of the field. Kochanowski then slid the ball to Plamen Pamukov (Addison, IL) for a one-on-one opportunity with the Loras goalkeeper. Pamukov's shot missed just wide of the far post, keeping the scoreless tie.

Kochanowski and Pamukov along with goalkeeper Piotr Sliwa (Chicago, IL) and defender Rigoberto Barajas (Cicero, IL) lead a core of five seniors that closed out their collegiate soccer careers on Saturday night. The group never lost a conference game, posting a 36-0-1 record in conference play over the last four seasons, winning four conference regular season championships and three conference tournament championships while making four appearances in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Tournament, including a trip to the Elite Eight Round in 2006.