CHICAGO (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's soccer team's historic postseason run came to an end with a 4-3 defeat to St. Olaf College in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at the University of Chicago. In a back-and-forth thriller, the Oles scored the decisive goal in the 85
th minute to advance to the national quarterfinals.
The Blugolds' season came to an end with a 13-5-2 record. UW-Eau Claire reached the Sweet 16 for the first time, in the process doubling the number of NCAA Tournament wins in program history.
It took a gargantuan effort to knock the Blugolds out of the tournament. Their Sweet 16 game with the Oles featured three game-tying goals by UW-Eau Claire. After each of St. Olaf's first three goals, the Blugolds answered to knot the score.
A successful penalty kick in the 14
th minute gave St. Olaf a 1-0 lead, but UW-Eau Claire had an immediate response.
Sam Lynch (Sr. – Verona, Wis.) scored after
Jacob Sampson (Jr. – McFarland, Wis.) and
Ethan Andersen (Sr. – Burnsville, Minn.) linked up on a long throw-in, with Lynch bicycling it in for a goal in the 15
th minute.
The Oles converted another penalty kick in the 39
th minute to regain the lead at 2-1, but the Blugolds once again only needed a moment to recover. Andersen capitalized on a loose ball in the 41
st minute to score on another product of a set piece, making it 2-2 at halftime.
St. Olaf struck again in the 60
th minute, and the Blugolds needed more time to find another breakthrough. They got it in the 83
rd minute, when
Nathan Donovan (Jr. – Hazel Green, Wis./Wahlert Catholic) hammered a shot into the back of the net to equalize off an assist from
Sean Redmond (Fr. – Lebanon, Tenn.).
Unfortunately for the Blugolds, St. Olaf scored the winner a few minutes later. UW-Eau Claire pushed for one final equalizer in the closing minutes, but the Oles held them off.
Spencer Banks (Jr. – Stevens Point, Wis.) made two saves in net for the Blugolds.
In just its third year as a program, UW-Eau Claire finished the season with double digit wins for the third straight time and made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
