Nick Hamer Golden As Gonzaga Sweeps League-Leading LMU
11/11/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Gonzaga University's men's soccer team has done something twice that no other team in the West Coast Conference has been able to do just once this season.
Beat Loyola Marymount University.
Relegated to the role of the spoiler after their WCC title hopes were eliminated Friday in a 3-1 loss at the University of San Diego, the Bulldogs and keeper Ryan Caballero defeated conference-leading LMU 1-0 in double-overtime Sunday.
Nick Hamer got the golden goal at 108:13, taking Clark Phillips left-to-right cross and heading the ball to the left post to give Gonzaga (9-5-3, 4-3-3) the season sweep of the Lions (11-4-2, 7-2-1). The win vaulted the Bulldogs ahead of idle Saint Mary's College, 4-4-2 in the WCC, and into third place by one point. Gonzaga hosts SMC in the regular-season finale next Sunday with the University of San Francisco coming to town for a Friday match at 2 p.m. to kick off the crucial final regular-season weekend.
While their title hopes may have died, the Zags very much kept alive their hopes for an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship. The nine wins this season are the most for the Bulldogs since three straight nine-win campaigns from 2006-08 while finishing third, fourth and tied for second in WCC play those three seasons, respectively. Gonzaga is aiming for double-digit wins for the first time since an 11-6-0 record in 2000. The school record for wins came in 1997 when the Bulldogs went 14-4-0.
"It was huge," Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson said of the victory. "We beat the team that may win the conference. We had to rebound from Friday and those six minutes of chaos."
Thorarinsson was referring to USD's three goals in the first five-plus minutes Friday.
As for the goal, Thorarinsson said he had Hamer playing a little more forward and Clark gave him a good cross.
"It as a great goal," Thorarinsson said.
Caballero, touched for three first-half goals Friday and relieved in the second half by Chris Lowrimore, came back strong with a season-high 12 saves to hold LMU at bay and give the Zags an opportunity to win. LMU had 26 shots to just 10 for the Bulldogs with 12 on goal to just three for the Zags.
But in this case, third time was a charm.
"Conner (Bevans) was sick today and we were without Jakob (Granlund) so we were out of forwards," Thorarinsson said of the depth issue Sunday. "We were just defending; a lot of their shots were from way out. We tried to keep them in front of us the entire match."
Bevans didn't start and gave the Zags some minutes off the bench, while Granlund was left home after suffering an injury last Sunday.
The Gonzaga defense also got a boost Sunday with the return of senior defender Josh Phillips who sat out Friday's start of the road trip after suffering a slight hamstring pull last Sunday at home against Santa Clara University.
"Josh was the guy today on defense; he stopped so many one-on-ones," Thorarinsson said of the senior's return. "He was the guy today but Ryan had a great match, too."
Thorarinsson said he didn't decide to start Phillips until about two minutes prior to the match.
Caballero was also on his game, making no less than four match-saving saves, including three in the first overtime.
His first tough save of the day came in the 34th minute came on a free kick by Greg Nitti that Caballero knocked down on the high, hard shot and the Lions got a weak header shot off the rebound that was blocked.
Caballero once again was called on in the 88th minute as Dylan Seedman fired a high, hard shot Caballero was able to make a leaping catch save on.
The first overtime saw perhaps the best pressure of the day from the Lions.
In the 97th minute Caballero throw his body at the post to his left to knock down a header by Seedman that led to an LMU corner kick. The Bulldogs denied the corner kick but the Lions got a throw-in, Josh Phillips heading the ball back out front that the Lions kept alive with a bicycle kick. Parker Victor and Andrew Newman each had a clearing kick, and Caballero made another huge save off a header in traffic well inside the six.
That set the stage for the second overtime, LMU getting a harmless header early in the second OT session as the senior Hamer connected for the golden goal on his final trip to LMU.
Thorarinsson said everybody knows the importance of the final weekend of the regular season.
"Two huge matches. The guys know we can't lose anymore. Friday's game is huge and Sunday could be even bigger," Thorarinsson said.
