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Disappointing 1-1 Tie for
Men's Soccer Against Chapman |
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In an effort that can only be described as flat, the Cougar men (11-3-1) stumbled to a 1-1 tie against Chapman University in front of a raucous CSUSM crowd on Friday. From the opening kickoff, the Cougars did not appear to have the 'magic' that they've possessed throughout their inaugural season. The team looked a little sluggish, and had trouble both connecting on passes in the offensive zone and finishing when opportunities presented themselves. While the Cougars still managed to control play, out-shooting Chapman 21-8, they were never able to put their opponent away. In fact, Chapman got on the board first. In the 10th minute, their offense broke through, with Chris Marshall making a run down the middle of the Cougar defense. Marshall flipped a beautiful pass to teammate Paul Hirshman, who hit a solid shot past helpless Cougar keeper Trent Painter. Down 1-0 for most of the first half, Coach Ron Pulvers subbed out both his starting forwards, Mike Nuovo and Curtis Marcikic, late in the half. Demitri Hidalgo, who came in as a result of those moves, provided the Cougars with the spark they needed. After a couple of close calls, the Cougars were finally able to equalize the score when Bradley Seidenglanz was able to find Hidalgo standing in the box. Seidenglanz slipped him the pass, and Hidalgo turned and fired it at the net, beating the keeper to the corner. Unfortunately, the team could not build on that, instead allowing Chapman to regain the momentum. With the score still deadlocked in the 70th minute, Chapman's Chris Marshall was brought down in the box, and the ref awarded a penalty kick. With the game hanging in the balance, the CSUSM crowd came to the team's rescue. As Marshall was setting up for his kick, the crowd began a very loud and unified chant of "Marshall…Marshall…Marshall," reminiscent of the "Darryl" chants directed at outfielder Darryl Strawberry in the 80's. Much to the crowd's delight, the penalty kick sailed harmlessly over the net. The 1-1 tie persisted through regulation, and despite both teams' best efforts, was not broken in overtime. The Cougars had plenty of chances in extra time, but just could not put a shot on goal. With darkness falling, the second overtime ended; and the Cougars, who have played with such great emotion all season, were left with a head-scratching result. With just one game left in the season, it's unclear whether the Cougars will make the regional playoffs. Regardless, the season can only be considered a major success, given that this is the first year of the program. The squad's final game will be on October 23rd at Whittier College. |