An Own Goal is the Demise as the Monarchs Lose 2-1
Written By: Jake Ullrich
Assistant Sports Editor
The beauty of sports is the incredible extremes a player’s emotion can range from. From the glory of victory to the agony of defeat, players can experience amazing shifts in their mood. Sunday afternoon, the Monarchs felt the lowest of lows.
A 65-minute own goal from ODU’s defender Drew Smith ultimately sealed a 2-1 loss and a devastating collapse for the heavily favored Monarchs.
“I thought [Delaware] didn’t really create much either half,” coach Alan Dawson said after the game. “Second half, they had two shots. We scored the goal for them.
“We played well enough to win the game. We had chances to win. But that’s our sport. That’s the way it goes,” coach Dawson said.
The Monarchs started much better of the two teams, creating multiple scoring opportunities in the first half. ODU was dictating the pace of the game and Delaware was camped in their own half.
The Monarchs’ pressure would ultimately pay off when a quick throw-in from Chris Harmon released Yannick Smith into the box. His first touch beat the defender and he was quickly fouled to win ODU a penalty kick.
The referee had no hesitation pointing to the spot and Jordan LeBlanc stepped up and placed the ball perfectly in the left side of the net. It was LeBlanc’s second goal of the tournament, both of which were penalty kicks.
It seemed the Monarchs would double their lead in the 32 minute when Smith pulled a cross back for Tim Hopkinson at the top of the penalty box. He picked his spot and was only denied by a brilliant save from Delaware’s goalkeeper Kris Devaux.
The Blue Hens continued to play on the counter and were rewarded in the 34 minute when a lovely 1-2 combination found Vincent Mediate alone against ODU’s goalkeeper Victor Francoz. Francoz did well to save the first shot, but the rebound fell right back to Mediate’s feet and he tied the game at 1.
“A soft goal got them back in the game,” coach Dawson said. “Had we have gone in at 1-nil, I would have felt pretty good about it.”
The Monarchs continued to exert their dominance in the second half and the mainly pro ODU crowd thought they had gone ahead in the 58 minute. A Chris Harmon header hit the side net and unleashed a roar from the crowd, only followed by a moan when they had realized it wasn’t in the back of the net.
ODU was made to rue their missed chances in the 65 minute when Mediate sent in a dangerous, whipping cross into the ODU’s penalty box. Smith had trouble judging the ball and ultimately, headed it into the corner of his own net. Francoz had no chance.
“Its not an individual thing, we win as a team and we lose as a team,” captain Chris Harmon said. “I thought we brought some intensity but they’re a good team.”
The Monarchs continued to throw men forward and tested Devaux multiple times, but to no avail. After scoring an impressive five goals in the semi-final, the Monarchs were held to one in the final.
“Any championship game you play in is going to be a tight game,” Harmon said. “That just how it goes.”
“You know all we had was the penalty kick today,” coach Dawson said. “The ball bounces funny ways sometimes. I thought we snatched a little bit at the end.”
Tommy Webb, Jason Gaylord and Tim Hopkinson were all honored on the All-Tournament first team, but it certainly wasn’t the trophy they wanted to go home with.
The Monarchs now wait until Monday to see their selection in the NCAA tournament and who they will play in the first round.
Photo By Jake Ullrich
