WICHITA FALLS, Texas- The No. 4 seeded Colorado Mesa Mavericks defeated the No. 1 seeded MSU-Texas 5-4 in a shootout to advance to the third round of the 2018 Division II Men's Soccer Championship South Central Regional. Tremendous defense throughout the match and one save by the 2018 RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year was all it took for the Mavericks to advance. Since this match will count as a tie for both teams the Mavericks record is now 13-3-5. The penalty kicks determined who would advance in the NCAA Tournament.
Fourth Times a Charm
After traveling to MSU-Texas for the fourth consecutive year the Mavericks were able to walk away victorious after falling the past three years in an NCAA Tournament match. Head coach Todd Padgett is very familiar with Wichita Falls however the team he brought this year was different than most. After the match he stated, "I don't think there has been a group of guys that I have been more proud of. They are truly a team and they show that by the way they battle and fight. Their mindset for the 120 minutes was fantastic. I am so proud of this team and what they brought today."
This is the only team the Mavericks have seen in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and they were able to pass them for the first time since 2014 when the Mavericks defeated them in Grand Junction.Â
Defense Defense Defense
The Mavericks defense shutout a team that averages 2.30 goals per game. The Mavericks recorded their fourth shutout of the year and Briley Guarneri recorded three saves throughout the match.
This shut out did not come easy as the Mavericks outlasted 17 total shots and a couple last second scares by the Mustangs. One came in the finals seconds of the first half when the Mustangs took a corner kick with 15 seconds remaining.
The Maverick's other last second scare happened at the end of the second half when a line of Maverick defenders blocked a free kick with one second remaining.
They defended another Mustang corner kick with two seconds remaining in the first overtime.
Their fourth and final scare came in the last minute of the second overtime when the Mustangs took two shot attempts. One hit post and the other was too high.
Guarneri recorded three saves though out the match and his most important save came in the shootout against the Mustang's Rory O'Keeffee. This save was the difference in the match since the Mustangs netted every other opportunity.
Guarneri believed one save was all it would take, "I was able to make one save and you know at the end of the day when you get in a shootout situation you make one save and you hope your team gets the job done on the other end. I had full confidence that our guys would stick it in the back of the net as long as I could just get one save."
The Mavericks did just that. After a coin flip the Mustangs did the honors of shooting first. Following the first goal was Kevin Del Mazo who answered right back. James McGhee finished the second round keeping it 2-2. Next was Niall Shaffery who made the score 3-3. The fourth shot by the Mustangs was the one save the Mavericks needed. The freshmen Ethan Anderson followed and netted the Mavericks fourth penalty kick to put the Mavs up 4-3. With one more attempt the Mustangs netted their fifth PK attempt and tied the score at 4-4, but no one was stopping the Maverick's leading scorer Lawan Abary who sealed the deal. With Abary's goal the Mavericks won the shootout 5-4.
What Awaits
Due to weather conditions the other South Central Regional match was postponed till Monday. The Mavericks will await the winner of No. 2 seeded Colorado School of Mines vs No. 3 West Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m.
The Mavericks and the winner of Monday's match will travel to Azusa, California for the South Central Regional final on Thursday, Nov 15 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. MST).
