Sunday, September 07, 2008
SOCCER HAWKS DEFEAT GRACELAND 2-1…
On Saturday, September 6, the QU Soccer Hawks defeated Graceland University 2-1 in a well-played, hard-fought soccer match on the Truman State University campus. It was a big win for the Hawks as they were playing against a very good team and had to come from behind to get the victory. For those unfamiliar with Graceland University, they are an excellent NAIA team. They are always in the NAIA National Tournament bracket and were the NAIA National Champions as recently as 2006. They are a skilled team with quite a few international players as mainstays in their line-up. Graceland entered the contest with the Hawks rated as the #8 NAIA team in the nation.
Statistically the game was a stalemate except for the one stat that counts the most (the Hawks having the winning goal). On the field it was a real battle with both teams having other good chances at scoring in addition to the 3 goals actually notched in the contest. The Hawks though had more of the better chances with shots banging off the crossbar twice and another saved off the line by a defender. Hawk keeper Kyle Dillman (from LaFollette HS in Madison WI) made several crucial saves with his courageous play, especially early on in the first half. Kyle, along with the help of the strong defenders in front of him kept the Hawks in the game until the offense could get untracked.
After Graceland scored in the 58th minute, the Hawks came back strong with their tying goal headed home in the 70th minute by Jack Wedemeier off a cross from his high school teammate (at Cape Notre Dame) Abe Dirnberger. The goal resulted from Hawk pressure on the Graceland backs with Grant Ellison (St. Dominic HS, O’Fallon MO) forcing one of their defenders into Dirnberger’s path so that Abe could strip him of the ball and get off his cross. The Hawks second goal came just 6 minutes later when Wedemeier picked up a loose ball near midfield an played it to junior forward Jayme Groark (CBC HS St. Louis MO) who hit a pass that split the Graceland defense and found Dirnberger knifing between two defenders to control the ball and slot it home.
All in all the Graceland game was a good effort by all the Hawks and showed they could come from behind and dig out victory in a very tight match. On Sunday, August 7, the Hawks were supposed to play the University of the Incarnate Word over on the Truman State University Campus but that match was cancelled by the Truman athletic staff as a heavy rain on Saturday night-Sunday morning left their field with standing water. Attempts by the Hawks to have Incarnate come to Quincy to play were unsuccessful.
The next outings for the Hawks will be Friday, September 12 in Owensboro (KY) at Noon vs Kentucky Wesleyan University in the opening round of GLVC action. The Hawks will then return to their home North Campus Field to play Bellarmine, another GLVC foe, on Sunday September 14th again at NOON.
GO HAWKS!
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