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ST. PETER, Minn. — Junior forward Nick Rapisarda’s six shots on goal were not enough to save the season as No. 2-seeded Gustavus defeated No. 3-seeded St. Thomas 1-0 in the opening round of the MIAC men’s soccer playoffs Tuesday at the Gustie Soccer Field.
The lone goal came off a free kick 10 yards past the midway line on St. Thomas’ (11-5-3) end of the field in the 68th minute when Gustie sophomore midfielder David Lilly put a ball right into the thick of the St. Thomas defense. Senior midfielder Gabe Steinborn headed home the cross, giving the Gusties (15-2-1) a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
“It sucks to lose,” junior forward Alex Bernhardt said. “This one just hurts more because we don’t get to play again. It’s a terrible feeling in your stomach.”
Both teams had chances throughout the match, with both defenses playing well in the first half.
In the third minute, St. Thomas goalkeeper Mitchell Wolff stopped a cross coming in from Steinborn. The Gusties pressed hard offensively throughout the opening 15 minutes with Wolff saving three Gustie crosses with ease.
Junior defender Kit Weaver and freshman defender Shane Marshall lead a determined Tommie defense, thwarting numerous Gustie chances.
“We worked them hard,” Marshall said. “We just couldn’t get that last goal to put us over.”
In the 23rd minute, Gustie junior midfielder Sean Sendelbach sent a cross that flew just past the left post, keeping the score 0-0.
St. Thomas had its best scoring chance in the 39th minute when Rapisarda fed Bernhardt straight into the 18-yard box. Bernhardt dribbled once and appeared to go down with Gustie senior defender Lucas Thompson’s tackle, but the referee waved ‘play on.’
“It’s one of those things where it’s a tough call,” coach Jon Lowery said. “I think the official was consistent today.”
Following the injury to sophomore midfielder Ogechukwu Edward, the halftime whistle blew, leaving the score at 0-0. Edward returned to the match in the second half.
Second Half
Both teams came out with pace to begin the final half, looking to break the tie. Wolff made two saves in the 48th and 49th minutes to keep the score deadlocked.
St. Thomas had another scoring chance when Gustie junior defender Zach Schmith slipped, leaving Bernhardt in control at the top of the Gustie box. Bernhardt dribbled in swiftly, passing to Rapisarda who smartly deceived one Gustie defender before having a partially open net in his sights. However, Gustie sophomore goalkeeper Brett Ylonen came off his line making a great save in the 55th minute.
Following a foul call given in the 68th minute, Gustavus slotted home the eventual winner by Steinborn.
“Unfortunately, we got caught on a ball that we nine times out of 10 handle that ball,” Lowery said. “We didn’t today and we’ll move on from it.”
However, with their season on the line, the Tommies kept pressing and nearly sent the game into overtime when Rapisarda connected with senior midfielder Brett Day’s cross in the 90th minute for a header into the top corner. Ylonen made an acrobatic leap, nudging the ball over the bar by his fingertips, cementing the Gustie victory.
“Opportunities at goal were pretty much even,” Lowery said. “We left two opportunities at goal in the second half. Their goalkeeper (Ylonen) was tremendous to keep the last one out.”
With the loss, the Tommies finish off their season with improvement across numerous fronts, most notably in wins. The Tommies won four more matches than last year’s squad and made the postseason for the first time since 2009. St. Thomas has yet to win a MIAC playoff game in its history and drops to 1-11-2 against the Gusties since 1997.
Wolff finished with four saves while Ylonen finished with eight.
“We played exactly how we wanted to play,” Lowery said. “I’m proud of the guys effort, but we came up short.”
Ross Schreck can be reached at schr8250@stthomas.edu.