Sept. 25, 2005

Box Score

Oregon State-Jacksonville Boxscore in PDF Format
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Gonzaga-UW-Milwaukee Boxscore in PDF Format
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SPOKANE, Wash. - Craig Mallace of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-1-3) scored at 81:27 to draw the visiting Panthers into a 1-1 deadlock with Gonzaga University (2-3-2) and that's the way the final match of the Gonzaga Nike Soccer Classic ended Sunday after the teams battled through two scoreless overtime sessions.

In the first match of the day, Oregon State University's Nick Webb scored with 59 seconds remaining to give the Beavers (4-2-4) a 4-3 win over Jacksonville University (4-3-0). With the victory and UWM's tie, the Beavers claimed the title with four points. Jacksonville was second with three points, UWM third with two and Gonzaga fourth with one point.

Brett Gardner, who scored back-to-back goals to pull the Beavers from a 2-0 deficit, was named the Offensive MVP of the Gonzaga Nike Soccer Classic. UWM goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum was named the Defensive MVP as the only two goals he allowed were on a penalty kick each day.

Gonzaga and the Panthers battled through 77:16 of scoreless soccer until Mark Stock's penalty kick beat Fernstrum for his first goal of the season. But four minutes later Mallace drew the Panthers even when his free kick from 30 yards on the right side headed off a Gonzaga defender and past keeper Vito Higgins, who had very little chance at the misdirection.

The best scoring opportunity in the first half came from the Bulldogs when Foday Kabba's shot from 6 yards went wide right. The Panthers had a couple of solid scoring chances prior to the Gonzaga goal. Higgins smothered Steve Sperl's hard, low shot from 10 yards out on the right side at 61:52, and Dale Weiler had a left-to-right header go wide past the open right side.

Neither team generated much offense in the overtime sessions. The only shot of the first OT was a high header by Sperl, and Weiler had a pair of harmless shots in the second OT, one long shot from 30 yards out from the left sideline and another that sailed high with just over a minute remaining. Gonzaga failed to get a shot in overtime.

UWM held an 11-7 edge in shots. Higgins had three saves for the Bulldogs while Fernstrum wasn't called on for a save.

The Bulldogs were without senior midfielder Robert Anderson who suffered a broken leg in Friday's match with Jacksonville. Anderson had surgery on Saturday to insert a steel rod into his tibia. He also fractured the fibula. He was to be released from the hospital on Sunday.

In the first match, Jacksonville jumped off to a 2-0 lead when Jonathon Jackson scored his second goal of the season at 4:49, slipping past the defender and taking a left-to-right shot to the far post. Six minutes later it was Anton Axelsson getting his seventh goal of the season, scoring from 8 yards from the right side of the box after OSU was unable to clear a rebound.

But the Beavers clawed back into the contest at 36:36 when Gardner scored his first goal off a right-to-left cross from Lucas Egenwall, punching the ball inside the left post.

The Dolphins' Brian Blackburn was red carded at 38:43 for a hard tackle at midfield and the Beavers took advantage of being a man up on the automatic ejection that comes with the red card.

Gardner scored at 52:19, dribbling through the defense for a shot from 5 yards. Less than a minute later it was Ryan Johnson giving the Beavers a 3-2 lead with his shot from the right wing.

Jacksonville drew even at 59:18 when Brian Cocciolo scored from the left front of the box off a corner kick from the right side.

Webb scored the decisive goal when he took a left-to-right cross from Johnson and beat Jacksonville keeper Paul Kehoe to the right side.

Kehoe had 12 saves while Packy Deenihan has three as OSU held a 31-10 advantage in shots, including a 16-7 edge in shots on goal.

Gonzaga remains home Friday to open West Coast Conference play against Loyola Marymount University at 4 p.m. as the second half of a double-header. The Bulldog women have a non-conference match with the University of Idaho at 1 p.m.