Box Score How It Happened
The dream season comes to an end in gut wrenching fashion as #8 Colorado School of Mines falls to #17 Cal Poly Pomona 3-2 on a golden goal five minutes and 42 seconds into overtime of the NCAA Division II Elite Eight matchup at MSU Soccer Field on the campus of Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas.
In an instant classic, the Broncos' Aaron Macedo headed home an incredible goal at 95:42 to give Mines (18-1-3) its first loss of the season. Moments before that freshman John Haist looked as though he may have scored the game winner but it was not to be.
Mines came out completely dominating the run of play to start the contest. CSM earned a pair of corner kicks and seemed to live in the Broncos final third.
The positive thinking finally bared its fruits in the 17' when sophomore Nikolaus Grotz barreled down the middle of the pitch on a counter attack. He looked to his right and saw a streaking Richard Garvey coming down the right flank. Grotz tapped it over to Garvey who shot with his right foot back left across his body to beat the CPP keeper to the bottom left corner of the goal.
Exactly eight minutes later though, Cal Poly's Eshel Chardon lulled the Mines defense to sleep with a short corner. He sucked defenders in and then snuck a cross across the bow of the goal where he found Christian Diaz Gonzalez for the equalizer.
Until their equalizer, the Broncos had looked listless, but the goal from Gonzalez Diaz seemed to energize the team as they took over the run of play. Over the next two minutes Cal Poly Pomona made Mines keeper Colllin Hall work to keep the go-ahead goal off the scoreboard.
After that outburst by Pomona, the two teams would control the possession equally with both squads getting good looks at goal. The best opportunity by either team late in the half came with 1:04 left when Garvey had a go at the top of the box. He appeared to have the CSM's second goal, but CPP keeper Fernando Pablo Quevedo made a terrific save to deny him.
Once the teams came back from the halftime talk, senior Chayce Moniz nearly gave Mines the lead in the 50' but his shot just went over the top of the crossbar. Pomona's Mathew Perez also got a great chance in the 58', but Hall made a great fingertip save to turn him back.
Over the next 18 minutes the game turned into a defensive slugfest with both teams' defenses turning back the other's attacks. Then in the 77', Cal Poly Pomona finally broke the stalemate when Kris Korich's cross from the left fell at the feet of Alexander Turkson for easy point blank goal.
Now behind a goal for the first time all game, Mines starting sending more bodies forward to snatch back the goal. The efforts were rewarded at 79:40 when a misplay from a Pomona defender found John Haist on the ground in middle of the box where he deposited it in the back of net.
With only three minutes left in regulation, Pomona's Diaz Gonzalez appeared to have the game winner when he rifled a shot at goal, but luckily for Mines his shot clanged off the far post. That was the last attempt for either team as they headed to overtime.
Mines went on to get an incredible chance at the beginning of OT when Haist received a nice ball just outside the box. He turned around his defender and rifled it at goal, but his attempt was naught as it went left of the far post.
Four minutes later, the Broncos drove down into the Mines final third where Mathew Perez flicked forward a cross from the right side to of the field to left side of the box where he found the head of a streaking Aaron Macedo for the golden goal. It was a phenomenal play, and nothing the Mines defense could have done.
Notables
- Today's Elite Eight matchup marks the furthest any Colorado School of Mines men's soccer team had ever been in the NCAA Tournament. The Orediggers are now 4-6 all-time in the NCAA Postseason.
- Richard Garvey's game-opening score was his team-leading 13th of the season. Also all three of Garvey's shots this afternoon were on target to lead the team.
- Nikolaus Grotz' assist on Garvey's goal was his 15th of the season which is second most in a single season in program history. He will finish one short of Jared Peacock's record 16 in 2001.
- John Haist will end his freshman campaign with 12 goals which will be good enough for second on the team.
- In one of the rare occurrences all season, Mines was outshot 16-11 and 9-5 in SOG. The Broncos also had the slight edge on corner kicks, 9-8.
- Collin Hall made six saves on the afternoon to give him 86 on the season.
