WC Soccer Season Ends on Regrettably Familiar Note

— by Randy Sarvis, WC Public Relations Directot —

WILMINGTON, Ohio - This was going to be the year that history didn't repeat itself for Wilmington College's men's soccer team - but it did.

The Quakers dropped a 1-0 decision to Wartburg College Saturday in the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Messiah College, two-time national champions since 2000, routed Allegheny 5-0 in the other semi-final match of the Sectional Tourney hosted this weekend at WC.

Messiah's subsequent 2-0 win over Wartburg in Sunday's "Elite 8" round qualified them for the Final Four this Friday and Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.

The 1-0 loss by Wilmington, 17-3-2, evoked memories of tournament defeats by the same score in 1999 through 2002. This was a team that possessed multiple offensive weapons all season, but Saturday, the guns were silent.

The Quakers outshot Wartburg 18-10 and held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.

"I thought our game plan, our tactics and our technical play were solid for creating chances, but we just failed to put it away," WC coach Bud Lewis said.

"We were very happy with the opportunities we created, but couldn't buy a goal to save our lives," he added. "To see some of the shots we missed, considering the goals we've scored this year, this was a very unusual and unfortunate day for us."

Wilmington had a number of legitimate scoring opportunities, especially in the first half, but the team was unable to ripple the back of the net. Forwards Alex Van der Sluijs, David Benedict and Phil Walters, and midfielder Chad Garman each had opportunities to score.

"Ultimately, we just didn't strike the ball very well," he added. "We won the statistical battle, but you've got to win the one on the scoreboard."

The game was scoreless until, with 5:29 remaining, the Knights' Kirk Artist dribbled through three Wilmington defenders and toe poked a shot past goalkeeper Justin Saylor, who recorded shutouts in the team's four previous matches.

"I thought defensively we were very sharp, but it really hurt to give up that goal so late in the game," he said.

Lewis praised Wartburg for finding a way to win the game after WC's defense gave them few good looks at the goal until Artists' unassisted score. But he felt this was team they should have beaten.

"I tip my hat to them. They're 20-1-2 and we aren't," he said, wishing Wilmington could have had a crack at perennial powerhouse Messiah on Sunday.

"Not to take anything away from Wartburg, but (if we're going to lose), I would prefer to be spanked by a team that's good enough to win a national championship than to lose to a team that we felt we were significantly better than."

Sometimes teams live by the sword and die by the sword. The coach recalled a week earlier when WC defeated Wheaton College 2-0 in a match dominated in the midfield by the Thunder.

"Soccer can be a funny game. Last week against Wheaton we got a goal and sat back and their team couldn't buy a goal. It came back to haunt us today. You can dominate opponents but, if you don't put the ball in the back of the net and keep it out of yours, it doesn't matter how good you are between the 18s.

"This game can bite you so quickly."

While the loss stung Saturday night, Lewis conceded this was an outstanding year for the soccer program, which rebounded from a 10-9-1 mark in 2003 to win Ohio Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships, in addition to posting a 12-game winning streak and having seven players named All-OAC. Lewis was conference coach-of-the-year in his 30th season as head coach.

"The work of the players, the camaraderie, the program's growth in a year's time, I don't think we have anything to hang out head about," he said. "Tonight is frustrating because the season ends. In our hearts we felt we were the better team - but we just didn't show up on the scoreboard.

"We accomplished a lot this year, but we felt we could have gone further - that's the hard part, to see it come to an end prematurely."