University of St. Thomas Athletics
10-7-2
Carleton
10-6-2
Men's soccer season ends with MIAC quarterfinal loss
11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The sixth-seeded St. Thomas men's soccer team concluded its 2014 season with a 2-0 loss to second-seeded Carleton College in the quarterfinals of the MIAC Playoffs on Tuesday afternoon at Bell Field. The Knights scored in the final five minutes of each half to capture the victory. St. Thomas finishes the year 9-8-2, while Carleton improves to 10-6-2 and will travel to play Gustavus in the semifinals tomorrow afternoon.
"You have to give a lot of credit to Carleton," said Head Coach Jon Lowery. "They played their game and didn't get swept up in the moment. They stayed within themselves and used their strengths to their advantage. Today you saw why they have been successful for such a long time."
After a scoreless tie through the first 40 minutes of the game, the Knights struck first with less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame. Danny Leal took a pass from Riley Phelps to give him the advantage on a breakaway. Leal tucked the shot into the upper left corner to score his second goal of the season and put his team on top 1-0 headed to halftime.
"The last five minutes before the half are a crucial time, especially when you are tied," mentioned Lowery. "That being said, giving up the goal in the 41st minute hurt because it gave them the momentum going into halftime."
St. Thomas struggled to regain that momentum in the second half. After being outshot 6-1 in the opening 45 minutes, the Tommies were at a disadvantage again after the break by the count of 6-4. UST was able to put one shot on goal, but it went to no avail, as it was saved by Carleton goalkeeper Keenan Smith.
Instead, the Knights extended their lead to 2-0 in the 86th minute to seal the win. Reed Cammarota captured a cross from Branden McGarrity on the left side and put it away to squander UST's hopes and take the victory.
For the game, Carleton finished with a 12-5 edge in shots, including a 5-1 mark on target. The Knights also took eight corner kicks to St. Thomas' three.
Tommie goalkeeper Mitchell Wolff logged all 90 minutes in his final game, making three saves in the losing effort to finish the year 8-6-2 as the keeper of record. Keenan Smith made just one save for Carleton in the win and moves to 8-5-2.
St. Thomas conclude the season with an overall record of 9-8-2 and an MIAC mark of 4-4-2 to finish sixth in the league standings.
"At the end of the day, I am proud of these guys and the season they had," finished Lowery. "We definitely had our ups and downs throughout the year, but they kept fighting and battled back to earn a playoff spot."
"It's bittersweet because it is always tough to see the seniors go, but it is also exciting to look to the future with the young team that we have. We will learn from this year and come back better next fall."
Team Stats
Danny Leal (2)
Assisted By: Riley Phelps
GK comes off line, shot from right wing
40:54
Reed Cammarota (3)
defense fails to clear, collects loose b
85:11
