Less than a week after battling the Lafayette Leopards to a 1-1 tie in the 2006 Patriot League season opener, the American University men's soccer team found themselves in a similar situation Friday night. But this time it was out west in Albuquerque, N.M.
After battling the New Mexico Lobos to a scoreless tie after a full 90 minutes of play, the Eagles took the field for the first overtime, knowing that one call would cost them a chance to post a critical result against the No. 18 team in the country. Through the first nine minutes of overtime, both teams looked content to go into the changeover with the scoreboard still showing zeros.
However, things changed quickly after Lobos midfielder Jack Smithson was able to gain possession of the loose ball at midfield and send it down the left sideline to Stephen Brown, leaving only sophomore defender Cooper Bryant and junior goalkeeper Chris Sedlak to beat.
After a poor first touch by Brown, the ball squirted ahead of him into the box quickly becoming a 50-50 ball, giving Bryant the opportunity to sweep it out of the way. As Bryant tried to take the away the angle and make a play to clear the ball out of danger, his arms flew up in the air as he collided with Brown, prompting the referee to immediately blow his whistle and point to the penalty spot inside the goal box.
One call. One goal. A game that seemed destined for a strong finish in the second overtime quickly turned into heartbreak for the Eagles in New Mexico.
Just as the ball was placed for the penalty kick, Sal Caccavale quickly entered the goal box and made discussion with the head referee, attempting to freeze the shooter and postpone what felt like the inevitable.
As Sedlak stretched on his line, New Mexico's Lars Loeseth lined up three yards to the left of the ball. Immediately as the referee's whistle blew, the ball was flying low towards the right side of the net. Sedlak, set on his line, dove to the left, and just like that the Eagles' effort at New Mexico resulted in a 1-0 loss.
As the New Mexico players stormed the field to celebrate their victory, the College Sports Television camera panned towards the scoreboard, showing 1:22 left on the clock.
One call. One goal. A game that seemed destined for a strong finish in the second overtime quickly turned into heartbreak for the Eagles in New Mexico.
While the single camera posted near midfield at the New Mexico Soccer Complex may have failed to clearly depict the toll that this game took on the Eagles, the post-game celebration that was visible only left feelings of emptiness and frustration after witnessing the most improbable ending to an evenly played match between two teams fighting for potential seeding rights in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament that begins later this fall.
Fortunately, the Eagles do not have to wait long to get back on the field against top competition as they travel to the University of Virginia on Wednesday night to take on the No. 1 ranked Cavaliers, who knocked the Eagles out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
