sxucougars.com
September 9
The Saint Xavier men’s soccer team played against Goshen College. It was a very tight game that was decided in stoppage time thanks to a key corner kick by Saint Xavier.
The first half showed that the Cougars have plenty of chances to put the first tally in the scoreboard. However, the cougars would not be able to capitalize on the multitude of chances that they had, resulting in a 0-0 score at the half.
In the second half, the Cougars once again got plenty of chances to score. This time, they would capitalize scoring the first goal of the half in the 60th minute. The goal was scored by forward Marco Gutierrez off of a shot that rebounded to him in front of the net.
It seemed as though this one goal would be enough to give the cougars a victory, but the Cougars’ defense in the second half was not as good as their first half defense; it showed in the 81st minute of the game as Goshen College would score a goal to tie the game at 1-1.
With such little time left, it seemed as this is if this game was destined to be a 1-1 draw. The Cougars’ offense changed all that, scoring a thrilling corner kick goal from an astounding 30 yards out in the 94th minute to seal a 2–1 victory over Goshen College.
The game-winning goal was scored by forward Orlando Tapia. Based on the fact that the cougars outshot their opponents 23–11, and had a corner kick advantage of 10–3, you would have thought that the score would not have been so tight in the end.
However, a win is a win and this win pushes the Cougars’ record to 2-2.
September 12
The men played their second game of the week against Marygrove in Detroit, Michigan. The cougars would win another nailbiter thanks to the stellar play of their goal keeper as well as a little bit of luck.
The first half saw no score thanks to the stellar defensive play of both teams. The main highlight of the first half came when Saint Xavier goalie, Frank Valle, made two saves within 45 seconds of each other to keep Marygrove off the scoreboard.
The second half almost played out exactly like the first half, with each team showing their defensive prowess for most of this half. However, the end of the game proved to be chaotic as midfielder Ricardo Aldape committed what seemed to be a costly penalty in the goalie box and gave Marygrove a penalty kick in the 90th minute of the game.
With the game on the line, the Cougars needed a miracle just to get to a 0–0 draw. That miracle, miraculously, happened as Marygrove’s penalty kicker missed the shot and sent the game into stoppage time.
In stoppage time, the Cougars’ luck continued as they won the game on an own goal off of a Marygrove defender, after a cross pass in the 92nd minute to give the Cougars a miraculous 1–0 win.
It would be appropriate to dub the Cougars as the “Miracle Kids” after a win such as this after being outplayed, yet still coming away with the improbable win. This win tough, would not have even been possible without the absolutely stellar play of goalie Frank Valle who came out of this game with a six save clean sheet.
With the win, the Cougars’ record is now above .500 at 3–2. The Cougars will look to continue their winning ways on September 19 when they go on the road to play Aquinas College.
John Romando
Senior Sports Editor