Readers, you know what a disappointing season it has been for IMS. We started off the season with such high expectations, despite a challenging schedule, only to face a tough reality as the year progressed.
Our final nail in the coffin was hammered in by Loyola, in the MAAC semi-finals, when we were defeated 1-0. A set play goal that was controversial to say the least.
During the MAAC regular season it seemed that our tough schedule was paying dividends. We had finished 5-2, lower than we expected, but with our goal of winning the MAAC still intact heading into the playoffs.
Maybe it was the fact that we had to travel on Wednesday morning, for a game that was taking place on Thursday at 9 p.m., and only being an hour and a half away. The fact that we had so much time to kill on that Thursday just didn't seem right.
Or maybe it was just the fact that this game had a higher importance than all the other games this season. Either way it was hard to get a feel for the team, as I usually have been able to do heading into a game.
The match's start time did end up being pushed back a half hour because the playoff game before us was deadlocked and went to overtime, only to be decided within 15 seconds a quick sudden death goal.
Warm up seemed as normal as ever, and I tried not to read into to many things (something I have learned to do as the season went on). This is what we have been preparing for all year and now was the time for us to prove it.
In the opening 15 minutes we were a little unsettled and Loyola looked to get a foothold on the game, and they would have taken the lead if not for some great last stitch defending by us and some real poor finishing from them.
On two occasions their number 9 was wide open during set-plays. A warning for us as the game continued to progress.
As the rest of the first half played out we began to settle down a bit and by the end of the half each team could come away feeling they deserved to be leading. Chances that should have been taken by both sides went begging and a 0-0 score line seemed a proper reflection of the first half.
The second half started with us clearly on the front foot. We began to posses the ball more as we like to do and the game seemed to be going more in our favor this half. We seemed to have addressed the problem of their number 9 getting open on set plays, we just had to put the ball in the back of the net.
As the second half wore on the teams began to even out and a back and forth started to occur. One team would create a chance on one end only for the other team to respond.
Then with about 20 minutes left to go in the game, Loyola were awarded with a very soft free-kick. The ref calling a foul on something he had let go all game. To make matters worse after we had cleared the initial free-kick the ref inexplicably called for a re-take. All of this confusion, led to one moment of a lapse of concentration, and once again their number 9 was open only this time he didn't miss.
Though we were all filled with rage about the whole situation, we had to push on. We pinned them into their own half, causing them to take on attack after attack, we just couldn't finish.
There was one moment, with about eight minutes left, where we had about five attempts in a row on goal, that were either saved by their goalie or blocked by their defenders. Though you would never admit it at the time, when we didn't score at that moment, we had sealed our fate.
Our final push didn't produce a goal, and when the final whistle blew and it was all over. A sense of shock set in and it felt like the game had unjustly been taken from us. All one could do is just shake their head and know that this game should have been ours. (Injustica).
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