The Dominican University men's soccer team surrendered just three second half shots but it was the third and final shot of the half that doomed the Stars in the 79
th minute of a 1-0 loss to the Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championships.
"Obviously very disappointed in the result but very proud of my team," said Erick Baumann when asked about the Stars' first-round loss. "Proud of the way we handled ourselves in preparation for this game. This has been a rollercoaster of a week for us but we came in a left everything on the field today."
The Stars controlled possession throughout much of the second half but it was a Gustavus counter that led to the lone goal of the match. Zach Brown carried up the right sideline before angling to cut into the Dominican 18-yard box. Once in the box, Brown found David Lilly making a run up the middle of the field and slotted a pass for Lilly who one-touched a shot that snapped the Dominican net. The score was the third of the season for Lilly who was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Player of the Year.
The Stars had a number of scoring opportunities but could not find the back of the goal, being shutout for the second straight match and just the second time all season.
In the 70
th minute,
Trent Miller's (Rockford Ill.) corner kick service was popped out to
Logan Marvin (Johnston, Iowa) who got off a side volley with pace that deflected off a Gustavus defender.
Then in the 77
th minute,
Ryan Ybarra (Des Plaines, Ill.) was found near the back post but his chip shot sailed over the crossbar harmlessly.
In total, the Gusties held a slight 9-7 advantage in shots and a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. Dominican held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The loss drops the Stars to 14-6-2 and ends Dominican's season in the NCAA first round for the second straight season. Dominican is now 14-12-3 all-time in 13 NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances.
