With over 2,000 screaming fans, Messiah College had all the advantages on the night of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game. The Hopkins Men's soccer team knew that they were the complete underdogs going into the game against the defending national champions, but that did not deter them from playing some great soccer. The Jays wrapped up their season in a tough fashion, losing 3-2 in double overtime.
Bundled up in black and baby blue, the Hopkins faithful cheered on their Jays as the surreal first half finished up with the Jays up 2-0 against top-ranked Messiah. Going into the game, the Falcons had only let up six goals at home for the entire season, and within 22 minutes, that number had increased by two.
Starting things off early for the Jays, Senior Max Venker let one rip on target in the 16th minute that rebounded off of Messiah keeper Jared Clugston. As the ball bounced around in the box, Junior Scott Bukoski did what he does best and finished it in the back of the net for his 16th goal of the season.
The Jays were ecstatic and focused their newfound confidence in applying pressure and controlling possession in the attacking end for most of the half. The few times the Falcons tried putting together an attack, they were quickly dealt with by a defense that was playing in top form. On another offensive drive, the Jays put enough pressure on their opponents to force an own goal in the 22nd minute. The score now 2-0 led to some high hopes of making it into the next round of the tournament. Going into halftime, it appeared as though the Blue Jays were going to continue controlling the game, but the defending national champions thought otherwise.
Early in the second half, the Falcons established themselves as a threat with a score in the 47th minute. Messiah's Joshua Wood headed a corner kick from teammate Geoff Pezon into the corner of the net, just out of senior goalie Ravi Gill's reach. The Messiah fans erupted with fiery cheers, breaking their cold silence from before.
The momentum shifted in the second half. The Jays began playing very defensively, not attacking as they did in the first half. In the 77th minute, the Falcons scored on a moment of confusion. The ball went in on a throw in and the Blue Jays claimed that it was not touched by anyone from either team, therefore not making the ball in play.
However, the referee ruled the play an own goal, saying that one of the Hopkins players touched the ball to validate the goal. Goalie Ravi Gill ran halfway up the field to contest the call but the official ended up giving him a yellow card.
The 2-2 score sent the game into golden goal overtime. Tensions were high as the game was so evenly matched throughout regulation time. In the 94th minute, the game seemed to be determined when junior Evan Kleinberg took a shot at the end of a break away that bounced off and over the sliding, outstretched goalie. The ball was on its way over the goal line but at the last possible second, a Messiah defender cleared it to safety.
In the second overtime, a Messiah attacker was fouled just outside the box in the 106th minute. Then, in dramatic fashion, Messiah's Nick Thompson swerved his shot around the wall and into the back of the net to send the Falcons into the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
After a disappointing season ending loss, the Blue Jays look forward to next season in hopes of advancing further in the postseason.
"We have a solid group of returners. Everyone seems motivated to learn from the mistakes we've made." sophomore Drew Holland said. "We won't be satisfied unless we win a national championship."
