Gonzaga University
San Diego
Heartbreaking Season Continues For Gonzaga Men's Soccer
11/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 5, 2010
SPOKANE, Wash. - It's been a season of "close" for Gonzaga University's men's soccer team, the Bulldogs suffering yet another disheartening loss Friday when the University of San Diego converted a penalty kick at 89:50 for a 2-1 victory.
It marked the fourth time this season the Bulldogs (4-13-0, 1-9-0) have lost a match with three minutes or less to play, and the second time in two weeks Gonzaga was dealt a losing blow inside the 10-second mark.
Patrick Wallen scored his second goal of the match and his fourth this season against the Bulldogs on the penalty kick after James Partee was called for a tackle inside the box on the Toreros' Marcelo Carminatti. Wallen, who scored both USD (7-7-2, 4-4-1) goals in a 2-1 victory in the first meeting this season in San Diego, shot to the right side for his ninth goal of the season.
"We played well enough to win this game," a dejected Bulldog head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "The guys on that field deserve to win. They're playing well enough to win. But after you lose so many close matches you get the feeling it's not falling for you. But we'll change that."
USD took the early lead when Wallen scored his eighth goal of the year at 29:25. A shot by Dan Delgado was blocked and Wallen came in for the follow.
It didn't take the Bulldogs long to draw even.
Colin Flynn took a thru ball from Mitchell Weller, slipped a defender and took a low shot from just inside the 18 to beat USD keeper Michael D'Arrigo for his team-leading fourth goal of the season at 33:32.
That's the way it stood for the next 56 minutes, 18 seconds.
Both teams had some excellent scoring chances, but Caballero with seven saves and D'Arrigo with four - plus a little help from a defender - kept their teams in the match. The Bulldogs held a 17-16 shots advantage.
It didn't take long for the second half to heat up. Carminatti dribbled in, got past a Gonzaga defender just outside the 18 and took a high, hard shot that Caballero got his hands on, batting the ball back into play in the 48th minute. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs Stefan Eysteinsson took a right-to-left cross and shot to the near post only to see D'Arrigo make a diving stop to the post.
One of the best scoring chances of the day came in the 55th minute when Zach Smith's header off a long pass into the box glazed the cross bar to deny the Bulldogs the go-ahead goal.
The Bulldogs had another solid chance in the 67th minute, Josh Phillips soft header off a corner kick just going past the right post. James Partee nearly gave the Bulldogs the lead in the 73rd minute when he one-touched Nick Hamer's corner to the far post, a Torero defender clearing the ball at the left post.
Wallen had a wide open opportunity to give the Toreros the lead in the 87th minute, getting the ball from 16 yards on the left wing and missing the wide open net as the ball sailed high.
There were six yellow cards issued in the match, three to each team. Eysteinsson was whistled for one of the yellow cards, his fifth of the season, which carries with it an automatic one-match suspension. He'll have to sit out the Bulldogs final home match Sunday against Loyola Marymount University at 1 p.m. The Bulldog seniors will be honored in pre-match ceremonies.
