By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Cat Scholl
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – After two periods of scoreless overtime in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Division III Men's Soccer Championship, the Juniata College men's soccer team took its 2-2 tie with Lebanon Valley College (LVC) into a penalty kick shootout. The Eagles fell 5-4 with LVC's goalkeeper making a save on the final shot from Juniata.
"I can't think of a better matchup," said head coach Dan Dubois. "It was back and forth, just seesaw the whole time. They went up 1-0, we equalized, we went up 2-1, they equalized, and then there were more chances throughout the game. It was a fun game to coach. It was a fun game to be a part of. On the record it goes down as a tie, but we're not moving on and that stings."
The game was scoreless through the first half and into the second until LVC got on the board in the 54th minute. Juniata responded just four minutes later when junior Nick Weit (Litiz, Pa./Warwick) redirected a shot from junior Robby Higgins (Middletown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) with a header into the back of the net to even the game at 1-1. In the 62nd minute the Eagles were awarded a penalty kick and junior Nick Stone-Weiss (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted) converted to give Juniata the 2-1 lead with 28 minutes left in regulation.
The Dutchmen were able to equalize at 2-2 in the 80th minute and the two teams finished regulation in a tie. LVC outshot the Eagles in the first half 9-7 and Juniata outshot the Dutchmen 9-8 in the second. LVC just outshot the Eagles overall 21-18 through 110 minutes of play. The two teams were even in the shootout at 4-4 until the LVC keeper made a save on the final Juniata shot to send the Dutchmen to the semifinals of the ECAC tournament.
"It was a tough game," said Dubois. "That's a good program over at Lebanon Valley and they deserve to go on. I think we would have been a worthy pick to go through as well, but they're a good team and they'll hopefully do well."
The 2013 season was a record setting year for Juniata men's soccer as they finished with a program best 13 wins, earned the programs first post season appearance, earned the programs first victory over a ranked opponent, 3-1 over No. 24 Catholic in the Landmark semifinals, and the program's first ever National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regional ranking, which it held onto for three consecutive weeks.
"This season was special for a lot of reasons," said Dubois. "Coming into the season we expected that we were going to be more competitive than we were last year and last year was a great year. If someone had told me in August that we were going to lose 1-0 in the Landmark championship match and then get knocked out of ECAC's in PKs and along the way have upset top-seeded Catholic and Scranton I would have taken it. Without hesitation I would have taken it. I knew we were going to be good and I thought we would move up in the standings. I always knew that we could do this, but I didn't know that we would."
The match concluded the career for seven seniors on the men's soccer team; Dane Azeles (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg), Andy Blunk (State College, Pa./State College), Evan Decker (New Berlin, Pa./Mifflinburg), Anthony Glossner (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley), Ben Kitko (Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain), Austin Nace (Littlestown, Pa./Littlestown), and Seth Ruggiero (Bangor, Pa./Bangor).
"The leadership that we had on this team this year from the senior class was unbelievable," said Dubois. "I think they willed us to some wins. They really carried us when we needed it. We had a good class come in to help push and give us a spark when we needed it."
The class of 2014 has won more game than any other class in Juniata men's soccer history with an overall record of 36-31-6.
"This team had a great season because of the team as a whole," said Dubois. "This program has become what it has become because of this senior class and the alums that came before them. We're building on everything that they've put together. To see this senior class see the first victory against a ranked opponent, first playoff season, first ECAC berth, we upset the No.1 team [at Landmarks], we got ranked in the region for a few weeks this year, for them to see all of that… It's undeniable what this senior class has done. Nobody can take anything away from them. They've set the bar just that little bit higher. That's why we are who we are now."
Juniata men's soccer has a firm hand on success after the 2013 season.
"We exceeded even our own expectations, knowing all the while that our goal was to reach postseason," said Dubois. "I think we definitely exceeded what we thought we could do this year. It was a great learning experience for the guys. Hopefully we can carry this into something for the future and for the program. It was a huge year for the program. We've been knocking on the door an letting people know that we're around for the last few years, but now I think we've actually put a stamp on something."
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