Men's Soccer Falls in First Round of AAC Tournament vs CIU 3-2
The men's soccer team traveled to Columbia, SC this afternoon to take on the Columbia International Rams in the first round of the AAC Conference Postseason Tournament. The Knights entered the tournament as the #7 seed while the Rams of CIU played host as they were awarded the #2 seed in the postseason. The St. Andrews squad fought valiantly and to the final whistle, but couldn't end up topping the Rams as they fell in the contest by a final score of 3-2.
Cristobal Romero got the start in goal for the Knights as his counterpart Chase Knizek took charge of keeper duties for the Rams. The first 10 minutes of the match remained quiet, as each team earned a handful corners, but no official shot attempts were had, as it seemed like neither side was willing to try and send numbers forward and more tempted to remain complacement and feel out the match.
Romero was called into action in the 14th minute when Ram attacker Lucas Galdino attempted a header at goal that Cristobal Romero was able to parry away from his net.
After Romero denied another attempt a few minutes later, Fabio Bender opened up the scoring for the Rams as Daniel Ospina was able to find the midfielder in space, before he swung a sweet shot into the top corner.
After some back and forth midfield action, neither side was able to do a whole lot when taking chances at goal. In the 39th minute, Tobias Crosariol (Milan, Italy) was able to send a shot at goal that drifted high a few feet above the bar.
Going into halftime, it looked like neither side had felt comfortable with the other's pressure in the match, as both teams would be plotting ways that they could put increased pressure on goal.
The Rams were able to open the second half with a bang, as just 10 minutes in, CIU midfielder Daniel Ospina was able to place a perfect attempt past the dive of Romero to give the Rams a seemingly commanding 2-0 lead in the second half.
Tobias Crosariol didn't make us wait long and just five minutes later, the junior midfielder was able to send a screaming shot into the top drawer to pull one back for the Knights and send a wave of believe and confidence into the squad.
As the match turned to a more physical altercation and multiple cards were shown throughout the second half. The Rams seemed to rally behind their home crowd and with the increased pressure and momentum, CIU was able to add a third when Fabio Bender scored his second of the match and gave the Rams a 3-1 lead.
Once again the Knights were able to strike back and in the 79th minute. Alvaro Redondo (Cadiz, Spain) scored a stunner that pulled one back for the Knights and it was game on, as both sides adrenaline rose for the final 10 minute showdown.
Alessandro Mastrofilippo (Bari, Italy) got off a great chance at goal, but his shot was denied by the CIU keeper. As the final whistle sounded the Knights will be heartbroken with the result, and exit from the AAC Postseason Tournament.
Coach Clark had some great words regarding his squad as he stated "Bitterly disappointed right now. I thought the lads played a smart game, certainly the effort was brilliant and the commitment to support each other and our seniors was wonderful. We let ourselves down on the first goal getting caught on the break. Congratulations to CIU & Bill they have a lot of talent, but we kept fighting. Beautiful goal from Toby on the free kick, we scored again and pushed to the final whistle. I though Juan Acosta, was going to tie the game up but couldn't quite get his shot off and then Toby hit the post with a few minutes to go and you realize that it just might not be your day. Our seniors were fabulous, sorry for them, their leadership & talent will be missed."
The Knights will be dissapointed after being so close, but there is no doubt that this team has a boatload of potential and will be looking to run it back even stronger in 2023.