Deacs fall to American in NCAA Tournament
By Margaret McKenzie
Old Gold and Black Reporter

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of American University in the NCAA Tournament brought the 2001 season to an end for the men’s soccer team. Despite playing at Spry Stadium and enjoying a first-round bye, the Deacs could not capitalize on the home field advantage in the second -ound game on Nov. 25.

Perhaps feeling rusty after more than a week’s layoff from game action, the Deacons could not generate enough scoring opportunities. The best chance for the Deacs came with eight minutes left in the first half. Senior midfielder Christian Lonteen was free inside the penalty box, threatening to score, but American’s defense quickly responded and Lonteen lost the shot opportunity.

American’s first goal came early in the game at the 11:30 mark. Andrew Herman crossed the ball into the box from the right side, finding Adam Rosen. Rosen recorded his ninth goal of the year when his shot slipped past sophomore goalkeeper William Hesmer into the bottom right corner of the goal.

The Eagles added two insurance goals in the second half. Controversy surrounded the second goal in the 67th minute. Herman gathered a pass at the 25-yard line and dribbled in for the goal, but the Deacons argued that Herman had used his hands in controlling the ball. The argument yielded a yellow card for Hesmer and junior defender Aaron Thomas was given a red card. After Thomas was ejected, the Deacs were faced with the daunting challenge of playing one man down for the remainder of the game.
After the ejection, American was able to easily control the ball and stay on the attack. The Deacon defense responded, but with just under 10 minutes remaining American organized an efficient attack, adding a final goal by Rosen.

The Deacs spent the week prior to the NCAA Tournament in Clemson, S.C., competing for the ACC crown, but were unable to advance past the second round.

In the first round the Deacons faced in-state rival Duke, defeating them 2-1 in an overtime shootout. In a game dominated by defense, neither team scored in the first half and it was not until the 72:27 mark that Duke scored the game’s first goal. Trevor Pera sent the ball to the center of the field, where Demetrio Sanchez controlled the ball. Sanchez’s shot came from just inside the penalty box, giving Duke the lead.
The Deacons responded five minutes later when Thomas scored just his second goal of the year. Sophomore midfielder Vicente Bastidas crossed the ball into junior defender Bobby Gehring. Gehring tapped the ball to Thomas six yards out, leading to the tying goal.

Regulation ended with the game knotted at 1-1. Two overtime periods yielded no goals and the game was sent into penalty kicks. In the first round both Kevin Wickart and Sanchez’s shots were blocked. The second round resulted in Brian Caroll’s successful shot into the center of the goal for the Deacs, but Duke responded when Donald McIntosh sent his shot on the ground into the right corner. Both Thomas and Duke’s Kevin Sakuda missed their third round shots. The Deacs gained the advantage in the fourth round when Bastidas sent his shot into the back of the net and Hesmer blocked the shot by Duke’s Perea. Scott Sealy sealed the victory for the Deacs when his shot went into the upper middle section of the goal.

The Deacons’ defense was once again strong in their second round game against Virginia, but the Cavaliers edged the Deacs 1-0 in overtime.

Neither team scored in regulation, but Virginia’s Virginia’s Kyle Martino scored the winning goal less then two minutes into the overtime period. The goal resulted from a unique, unforced error from the Deacons. Looking to clear the ball, the Deacon defense passed the ball back to Hesmer in goal. Hesmer, however, slipped on the wet field in Riggs Stadium. Martino gathered the loose ball and sent a shot into the open goal.
Despite Hesmer’s six saves, the Cavilers advanced to the ACC title game where the Clemson Tigers eventually upset them 1-0.

White and Thomas were both named to the first team All-ACC Tournament team and Hesmer and Carroll were named to the second team. The Deacons finish the season 13-6-2.

The squad took a heavy blow when Hill, one of the team’s few steady performers, injured both her feet. She fractured one foot and has a stress fracture in the other. She will be sidelined for at least two weeks, according to Curtis.

The Demon Deacons next head to Western Carolina Nov. 29 for a non-conference meeting before heading to Chapel Hill Dec. 5 to face North Carolina in their first conference game. The Tar Heels have a 5-1 record and are ranked 24th in the nation.