Men's soccer falls to Denison in conference finals
Ross McHale, Transcript Reporter
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: Sports
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Denison opened the scoring in the 47th minute when sophomore midfielder Preston Wagner's shot from 35 yards out took a bounce and found the back of the net.
The goal was only the fourth conceded by the Bishops all season.
Down one goal with a large Denison crowd against them and their undefeated season on the line, OWU looked to get back into the game. As he has done all season, sophomore forward Travis Wall led the charge.
His tireless effort in midfield sparked a resurgent OWU offense that had been missing in action all night. However, as fans and players kept their eyes glued on the clock, it was his brother Tyler that came up with the big goal.
Finding himself in on goal in the 74th minute with just the keeper to beat, Wall calmly lobbed a chip that found the back of the Denison net, sparking wild celebrations and silencing the once boisterous Denison crowd.
The goal breathed new life into OWU as they sought to finish the game off in regulation.
OWU's number of close chances in the closing moments failed to find the back of the net as the game headed into two ten-minute golden-goal overtime periods.
At the start of extra time, Denison came out the stronger of the two sides as they hounded the OWU defense relentlessly but were unable to come up with a winner against a stand anchored by senior backs Kevin McGowan and Matt Giannetti.
Following the two-minute intermission, it was OWU's turn as they dominated possession and sent numerous balls into the box in search of a winner.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Denison mounted its final attack.
A cross-field ball from the left side was deflected out of the OWU area but found Big Red senior midfielder Peter
Shorten all alone on the right side of the box.
In a dazzling piece of skill, Shorten took the ball down on his chest and one-timed his effort into the far corner of the OWU net.
Amid the Denison hysterics, OWU fans and players stood shell shocked, as if not quite believing what had just happened.
Head coach Jay Martin was disappointed with the team's performance on the night. "We didn't play well," he said. "We haven't played well all week. [Shorten] hit a great shot. Now, we have a week to get ready [for the tournament]."
Senior goalkeeper Richard Ott, starting in place of freshman Paul Hendricks, pulled off a number of key saves but was disappointed with Denison's winner.
"Both goals were unlucky," he said. "[Shorten] was just in the right place at the right time."
Despite the loss, the team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament on Monday along with a first round bye.
The Bishop's will now play at home on Sunday night against the winner of the Capital-Transylvania match.
With their undefeated season a thing of the past, they now look ahead to re-gaining the form that made them the top ranked team in America as attempt to rally back and gear up for a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
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