MSOC Heartbroken by Late St. Mary's Goal
10/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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SPOKANE, Wash.—The Zags dominated possession and the offensive stats, but the Gonzaga University men's soccer team walked away with a 1-0 defeat to the hands of the Saint Mary's Gaels Sunday on Luger Field in Spokane, Wash.
"It was our game to win," said Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson, "and it's just a heartbreaker."
Gonzaga outshot Saint Mary's 16-5 over the course of the match, and they put eight shots on frame compared to the Gaels' two. The Zags also attempted seven corners in 90 minutes, six more than the visitors.
Those stats couldn't overcome the Saint Mary's goal, however, a long cross that dipped right in front of the GU goal. Keeper Ben Willis, making his first start at home for the Zags, lost the ball briefly in the sun, and that was all Saint Mary's' Alex Bramen needed to get a head on the pass and nod it into the lower left portion of the goal.
While Saint Mary's had the one great opportunity, Gonzaga saw several chances to get on the board. One of the best—and certainly the loudest—came in the 15th minute when Jakob Granlund rattled a hard-taken shot off the crossbar. In order to take the shot, the sophomore got around a defender along the left side of the field and dribbled into space to the right. He unleashed a rocket from around 21 yards out that curled past Saint Mary's keeper Andre Rawls. The shot didn't drop beneath the bar, though, and it bounced off the bar and out for a goal kick.
Granlund took four shots on the day, leading all players. Conner Bevans added three and both Lars Ludwigs and Graison Le took two shots apiece. Five others attempted one shot, with four of those five ending up on goal.
"We got good opportunities, just struggled with finishing them," said Thorarinsson. "Our shot selection probably wasn't the best, but we created opportunities. We had a lot of them."
Rawls made eight saves on the day to keep the Zags off the board, the most any opposing keeper has made against Gonzaga in 2014.
"You have to give them credit for hanging in there and putting the game away," said Thorarinsson. "It was just an out-and-out heartbreaker. The guys felt they should have won that game."
The Zags (2-8-0) will wrap up their non-conference slate Sunday, Oct. 12, with a match at the University of Portland. That contest will kick off at 1:00 p.m. in Portland, Ore., and will be streamed live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/up/.
