Lakers Suffer Heartbreak In OT Loss To Wolves
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | OT2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roosevelt (9-7-1, 7-4-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Cardinal Stritch (WI) (13-5-1, 9-2-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Cardinal Stritch scored a goal in the 104th minute to end the Roosevelt Lakers' season in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament semifinals Tuesday afternoon in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Lakers (9-7-1) played up a man for more than 40 minutes after the Wolves were assessed a red card in the 69th minute. However, Roosevelt was unable to sustain consistent pressure even with the man advantage and could not find the final touch around the net front. All four of Roosevelt's shots came after the red card with three in the second overtime period.
Mario Graciano stopped all three shots he faced in the first half and mostly kept the Wolves at bay for the rest of the game. The Wolves had eight of their 11 shot attempts in the first half, but their one attempt in the two extra periods found the back of the net. In addition, Cardinal Stritch had five corner kicks in the first half and just two the rest of the game.
Roosevelt entered the game with a 246-minute shutout streak and maintained that stellar defense in the first half while under consistent pressure. The Lakers had pockets of counterattack but for the most part found themselves defending for much of the first 45 minutes. Much like the quarterfinals win over Governors State, the Lakers found their footing in the second half and the play evened out after the break.
The game turned when a red card was issued for a deadball foul away from the action, and the Lakers started to apply a bit more pressure. Roosevelt had a few opportunities to take the win in regulation with a dangerous deflection off a corner kick barely going wide and a free kick from right outside the box being blocked by the wall. The Lakers dominated the first three minutes of the second overtime period after kicking off the half, but a quick counterattack led to the only goal of the match.
The Lakers finish coach Paddy Hoep's first season at 9-7-1 overall and 8-5-1 against CCAC foes. Roosevelt advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the fourth time in program history and now fall to 0-2 against Cardinal Stritch in postseason play with both losses coming in overtime.