Box Score New Wilmington, PA – Following their last second win on Friday night, the D'Youville men's soccer team was on the other end of the dramatics Saturday afternoon as the team fell to the Westminster College Titans by the final score of 3-2 in overtime.
The Titans were the aggressors to start the game, taking it to the Spartan defense. Goalkeeper Brett Matthews (Angola, NY/Lake Shore) had to make 4 saves in the first 15 minutes of the game without a single shot being taken on by the D'Youville offense. Westminster would continue their pressure and by the end of the first half outshoot the Spartans 7-0 and win the corner kick battle 4-0. Despite being the superior offensive team in the first half, the two teams would be tied 0-0 after 45 minutes.
Westminster would come out and show much of the same in the second half. The team would record 2 corners and 4 shots in the first 15 minutes of the half. Despite being outshot, all it would take was one shot from the Spartans to change the score of the game.
Junior Patrick Mann (Brighton, NY/Brighton) put the ball in the net for his first goal of the season off a deflection in the 61st minute, giving the lead to the Spartans.
Just as quickly as D'Youville took the lead, the Titans would take it away. Westminster scored just 2 minutes later to tie the game and even the score. After their goal, the team would again put pressure on the Spartans until they again answered with a single shot.
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, senior Nick Johnson (North Tonawanda, NY/Niagara-Wheatfield) would lob the ball over the goalie's head for his first goal of the season and take back the lead for the Spartans. D'Youville would then step up their offensive firepower, looking for an insurance goal. The team would double their shot total from the entire game in a matter of 3 minutes.
Down to the final minute, Westminster took 2 corners and 2 shots, one of which found its way into the Spartan's net to tie the game. With just :12 seconds left in the game, the Titans tied the game on a penalty kick, sending the game to overtime.
Again in overtime, the Westminster offense would be too much for the Spartans as the Titans would score on a free kick and win the game in overtime by the final score of 3-2.
"This was another hard fought battle against a very good opponent in some tricky weather conditions," said Head Coach Brendan Murphy.
"We are all frustrated with the result and how it happened but I am extremely proud of the effort the team put forward," Murphy continued.
D'Youville was outshot 20-5 in the game and the Titans had 9 corner kicks compared to the Spartans 2. Nick Johnson had 3 of the team's shots, one of which that was a goal. Patrick Mann and Jeffrey Espinoza (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) were credited for the other two shots, with Mann's shot being the first goal of the game. Brett Matthews was called upon often, making 8 saves on 11 shots for the team.
Murphy felt that his team did the things necessary to win the game, but mental errors were to blame for the team's loss.
"We did everything we could have hoped to do to give ourselves the chance to win that game. We made a few mental errors late in the game that cost us."
Heading into their next game on Tuesday and into conference play later this month, Murphy wants his team to take these experiences and grow from them.
"We have to learn these very difficult lessons and make sure that we get better as a result of these situations that we've put ourselves in."
The men will head back home to Buffalo for their next game on Tuesday, September 22nd as they take on Daemen at 7pm on Dobson Field.
