Zags and Lions Battle to Scoreless Draw
11/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga University men's soccer team battled Loyola Marymount to a tie Sunday, quite literally after suffering 20 fouls at the hand of the Lions in a scoreless draw at Luger Field.
The two sides were near even in most offensive statistics. The Zags attempted 18 shots in the 110-minute match, one more than LMU, and fired half of those on frame. The Lions only put four attempts on target, but they took nine corner kicks rather than Gonzaga's four.
In fact, the only number that vastly differed between the teams was that the Lions committed 20 fouls and received five cards—four yellow and one red—while the Zags only were whistled for one foul and a yellow. The Lions' 20 fouls was the most committed by a Zag opponent this season.
"It was a very emotional game and the guys handled their own emotions well," said Gonzaga men's soccer head coach Einar Thorarinsson. "Lars [Ludwigs] and Clark [Phillips] are good leaders. They keep everybody on track and focused on the game."
The Zags—Zach Hamer in particular—saw the best scoring opportunities in the first half. The senior midfielder tallied three of the seven GU shots during the half, two of which were on frame. He also got a step on the Lion defense a couple times but was unable to pull a shot off before LMU recovered and blocked Hamer's shooting angles.
Gonzaga's offense swarmed again halfway through the first overtime period, taking four shots in the span of 1:11. Conner Bevans started that stretch with a shot that went just over the crossbar, and 40 seconds later, Connor Ourada curved a well-struck ball towards the right post. LMU keeper Paul Blanchette made a diving save to keep the ball out of the net, but the action earned the Bulldogs a corner kick. Jalen Crisler got his head on that resulting corner, but that too sailed high and out for a goal kick.
Both squads saw two shots each in the second and final overtime, but neither squad was able to notch a game winner. At the 109:30 mark, LMU's Dylan Seedman was whistled for a foul and issued a second yellow card, giving the Zags a man advantage for the final 30 seconds. The LMU defense cleared Gonzaga's resulting free kick and the game ended at 0-0.
The Zags' bench offered strong play all throughout the match as Bevans, originally coming on during the 36th minute, led all players with six shots, three of which were on frame Ourada, who entered in the 23rd minute, offered two attempts—both in the first OT—while Dustin Ferger and Christo Michaelson both contributed to the offense while in the match as midfielders.
"I think this was one of the better games for us in terms of everybody fighting," said Thorarinsson. "There was not a let down by anyone, it was just 11 guys on the field trying to win. It didn't matter who was on the field."
Keeper Chris Lowrimore also did his part to protect the shutout, the Zags' first clean sheet of the season. He made four saves on the day, three of them coming in the second half. In the 77th minute, he made a highlight-reel stop on LMU's Alvaro Madrigal, diving to his left to get a hand on Madrigal's blast from distance. The redshirt-junior turned the ball out of play, ceding a corner kick but preserving the shutout.
The Zags (3-11-1, 1-2-1 WCC) will next play their final road match of the season, a 2:00 p.m. showdown against Saint Mary's on Friday, Nov. 7, in Moraga, Calif. That match will be aired on theW.tv.
