Soccer teams needs extra time to capture KCAC Tournament Championships
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Trey Thompson celebrates scoring the match winning goal in overtime to give the Coyotes a 1-0 win over Friends

It took overtime for the men and a penalty kick shootout for the women for Kansas Wesleyan to capture both KCAC Post-Season Tournament Championships for the second straight season on Saturday night in McPherson.

Same story, reversed roles. Last season it was the men who captured the KCAC Regular Season Championship, and went on to win the KCAC Post-Season Tournament, while the women finished the regular season with just one loss in conference play and went on to win the Tournament. This year, the roles were reversed for the men and the women, with the same result.

The men faced tournament no.1 seed Friends in the championship match. The Coyotes dominated the play in the first half and a majority of the second, with plenty of scoring chances, but could not find the back of the net.

Wesleyan’s first chance was in the eighth minute after Trey Thompson was fouled just outside the 18-yard box. Mike Padilla played the free kick, his first shot careened off a Friends player, and Padilla then tried to connect with Joel Gunterman, but his header was just wide.

Just four minutes later, the Coyotes had another chance, and Padilla had an open look from 20 yards out but sailed the ball over the cross bar of the goal. Three minutes later the Coyotes had another chance as Padilla hit the right corner where the cross bar and post meet and the ball bounced back out into play

Wesleyan’s best chances in the first half were both saved by Friends defensive players as the Falcons’ keeper, Chris O’Hearn was beaten on both plays. The first was in the 18th minute as Steve Gloria beat O’Hearn but his shot was deflected out by a Friends defender. The other was in the 20th minute off a Padilla corner that Thompson was unable to connect on a bicycle kick.

The Coyotes appeared to have scored the first goal of the match in the 22nd minute, but Thompson was called for a foul for interfering with the keeper , and given a yellow card, disallowing the goal.

Both teams used some clutch defensive play to hold the score at 0-0 for entire regulation time.

The Coyotes had a chance to win it in the 94th minute, but Trenton Corea’s shot on a wide open net hit the left post.

Then came the match winner with 1:13 left in the overtime period. The Coyotes played a ball in from the right side, and Gloria found Thompson open and he poked it in past O’Hearn for the score.

Wayne Johnson recorded his 11th shutout of the season in goal, and also set a new KWU record for career shutouts with 19, breaking the old record of 18 by Frank Bustos in 2000.

On the women’s side it took penalty kicks for the Coyotes to claim their second straight post-season tournament championship over Saint Mary.

Saint Mary scored in the fifth minute as Lindsey Robinson hit a goal just over the head of Kelly Balch from 30 yards out.

The Coyotes turned up the offense in the second half, playing virtually the entire half on the Saint Mary side of the field. Juliet Cervantes evened things at 1-all in the 57th minute with a score on a pass from Heather Muilenburg.

Wesleyan was unable to convert the go-ahead goal in regulation, or both overtime periods, despite outshooting the Spires 16-3 for the match.

It came down to a penalty kick shootout to decide the match. After all four shooters for both teams connected, the final Saint Mary kicker’s shot was high hitting the cross bar and bouncing off. Whitney Johnson took the final shot for the Coyotes, going to the lower left corner past Lyndsey Baxter for the 5-4 win in the shootout.

Both Coyote teams now head into the NAIA Region IV playoffs. Complete pairings, times and sites will be released by the NAIA on Monday afternoon, although it is expected that the KWU women will host a first round match on Wednesday at Salina Stadium.

-- KWU SI --