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Men's soccer holds off ODU, looks to upset UVA
By Tripp Mickle
Old Gold and Black Reporter

Old Dominion drove a penalty kick into the left corner in the 61st minute to take a 1-0 lead over the Deacon men’s soccer team. The goal awoke the 13th-ranked Deacs who netted two goals within the next three minutes to secure a 2-1 victory Sept. 7, in Norfolk, Va.

"We came out strong and fast and imposed our game on them for three-fourths of the game," junior Brian Carroll said. "Their goal got us up and we scored seconds later."

The Deacs dominated the first half of play, possessing the ball and dictating the speed of the game, Head Coach Jay Vidovich said. During the first 45 minutes, they managed to take 11 shots on goal while preventing the Monarchs from a single opportunity.

"Our overall play was so sharp so early that we lulled ourselves into complacency," Vidovich said.

A loose ball in the box that hit sophomore defender Wiggy Saunders’ hand ended the scoreless game in the 61st minute. The referee awarded the Monarchs a penalty kick, and Old Dominion’s Attila Vendegh fired the ball into the left corner, beating junior goalkeeper William Hesmer who dove right.

"The hand ball was a little bit controversial," Hesmer said. "It wasn’t consistent with the rest of the game. We were robbed of maybe two penalties in the first half, and he didn’t blow the whistle the entire first forty-five minutes."

The Deacs responded within seconds when sophomore Scott Sealy spun towards goal in the eighteen, but was taken down by an Old Dominion player. A penalty kick was awarded, and Sealy drove the ball into the left corner to tie the match.

The players made the decision that Sealy should take the kick. The keeper went the wrong way and he buried it, Vidovich said.

Sophomore Vicente Bastidas put the Deacs on top when he rose above the Monarch defense to head a Carroll corner kick into the back of the net in the 62nd minute. The header proved to be the game winner, but the Monarchs would threaten until the end.

"We seem to panic when we get a lead," Hesmer said. "We gave them way too many chances towards the end of the game."

"The fear of losing is there and natural," Vidovich said. "It was exasperated by Old Dominion throwing everything but the kitchen sink at us."

Old Dominion nearly tied the game when a Monarch found the ball at his feet on the corner of the six-yard box and managed to get a solid shot off with less than five minutes to play. However, Hesmer was in position and made the stop.

"This is the second game we’ve had a lead been forced to defend really hard down the stretch," Carroll said. "It’s a weakness that we really need to correct."

The Deacons begin conference play Saturday at home against Virgina, the nation’s 6th-ranked team. It’s been a decade since the team has won against the Wahoos. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Spry Stadium.

"We all have a good feeling about UVA," Carroll said. "We’re going out there with a lot of confidence and expect a good result."