News and Events
[printer friendly version]posted on 10/25/09
Pumas Bury Miners in Season Finale
The Saint Joseph's College men's soccer team defeated Missouri Science and Technology 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Joseph L. Minielli Memorial Field. SJC rallied with three goals in the second half to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
The Pumas (9-7-2, 6-6-2) played the first half into a strong wind and against a fierce Miner (7-6-1, 7-5-1) attack. S&T scored the game's first goal in the 20th minute with Ryan Muich heading a David Kekec pass into the SJC net. In the 41st minute, SJC keeper Alex Makin (Jr., Warrawong, NSW Australia/Illawara) was drawn out of the net attempting to control possession, but was screened by his own defense as Jervis Atagana converted an empty net goal.
The Miners finished the half leading 2-0 eying to host the first round of the GLVC Tournament with a victory. The Pumas, like they have much of the season, rallied in the second half as Greg Gehrig (Sr., Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) converted an indirect kick from Bojan Adler (RJr., Lovran, Croatia) into a goal in the 56th minute.
In the 67th minute, Adler tied the game on a free kick from 45 yards away from the S&T net. With the wind aiding the attempt, Adler manipulated a shot over the entire defense and past keeper Pat McNamee. Three minutes later, Adler gave the Pumas the lead as he converted another free kick into a goal, this time from 35 yards away and on the right side of the field.
The SJC defense held the final 20 minutes to ensure the victory and secure a winning season for the first time since 1992. The Pumas also needed a victory and a University of Missouri Saint Louis loss to gain entrance into the GLVC Tournament. UMSL soured the Pumas' magical comeback by defeating Northern Kentucky 2-1 on Sunday, thus ending the 2009 season.
"Nobody can take away the performance we had in the second half, said Head Coach David Bokhart. "It was a fitting tribute to the seniors the way we battled back and went for broke. It's disappointing that it wasn't enough, but at the end of the day we only have ourselves to blame for some of the results we dropped through the course of the season. We made some more strides this year and our returning players owe it to this graduating group of seniors to strive for regional and national honors for many years to come."
