No. 15 The Master's and No. 3 Rio Grande (Ohio) Battle to Scoreless Draw Before The Master's Advances on PK's
Dec. 4, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. – (box score) For the first time in school history, No. 15 seed The Master’s (Calif.) is going to the Championship final. The Master’s tied No. 3 seed Rio Grande (Ohio) 0-0 in two overtimes and advanced in penalty kicks, 7-6 in the second Semifinal of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship on Friday at Ramirez Field. The Mustangs will face Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in the National Championship final at 3 p.m. PST on Saturday. The Blue Raiders, who own seven national titles, defeated No. 5 seed Simon Fraser (B.C.), 3-0 earlier today.
The Master’s and Lindsey Wilson will be facing each other for the first time. The Mustangs are playing in their fourth postseason while Lindsey Wilson is competing in its 17th overall.
In a contest dominated in the offensive statistics by Rio Grande, it was The Master’s defense that stood strong. Goalkeeper Kevin Lawson saved six total shots on goal and the Mustang defense handled 15 Rio Grande shots.
To further the shot discrepancy, Rio Grande held a 6-2 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes. After regulation, the RedStorm were plus-7 in overall shots (14-7).
With under a minute remaining in the first overtime, The Master’s had a great scoring opportunity. With the ball spinning from 20 yards in the middle of the box, two players had a chance but couldn’t connect.
But as the clock wound down in the second overtime, the enthusiastic crowd of 276 fans cheered on the teams in the shoot-out. In the first five shots apiece, both squads missed one kick and so the match went into a sudden death shoot-out. Josh Hoeft of The Master’s hit home the deciding kick in the shoot-out prior to a Rio Grande miss. The game was not decided until Rio Grande’s Neil Harries hit the right post and Hoeft’s shot advanced the Mustangs to their first Championship final.
“We are grateful to have this opportunity,” said The Master’s head coach Jim Rickard. “This (win), so to speak, puts us on the map. If this gets the word out about our school and our kids, then that is great. We can enjoy this (Semifinal win) later because we need to get ready for tomorrow. We are going to do what we have done all year and go after Lindsey Wilson.”
The scoreless draw after two overtimes is the first such game since the 2006 Championship final between Graceland (Iowa) and Azusa Pacific (Calif.).
Rio Grande, the national runner-up a year ago, ends its season with a 18-3-3 record.
Hosted by Fresno Pacific (Calif.) University and the Fresno Sports Council, the 51st annual Championship concludes tomorrow at 3 p.m. For more information on the Championship, click here.
NOTES: There were 46 fouls whistled during the game with each team drawing 23… The Master’s, who played in its first Semifinal ever, improves to 7-1-2 in Championship play… Rio Grande drops to 2-2 all-time in the Semifinal round having won the 2003 title for its only Championship plaque… The last overtime match in the Semifinals was in 2007 when Concordia (Calif.) defeated Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) 2-1 in double overtime… The Master’s had a strong representation in the crowd of 276 – the campus is about a three-hour drive from Fresno.
