Back in first...

Last Friday we played Green Bay for our final in-state rivalry game. After losing to Butler last Sunday we wanted to make sure we came out with a good performance and came away with a win. Earlier in the day Butler lost to Loyola so we knew we were back in a very good position to host the conference tournament, as long as we took care of business on our end. We controlled the game and held a large majority of the possession. It was difficult to generate a great deal of offence at times because, for the most part, Green Bay was playing with nine players behind the ball, right in front of their box. We were unable to convert the chances we did create and regular time ended in a scoreless tie. We were headed into overtime for the first time in conference play. During the first overtime period we continued to dictate the game and, finally, with 46 seconds left on the clock, we got the goal we needed. We were given a free kick out wide when I was fouled just outside the box. Sperl played a perfect ball across and I was able to redirect it past the Green Bay goalie.

Sunday started with a trip to the Pancake House for a team breakfast and then we were back on the road for a short trip to Loyola. This was a huge game. If Loyola managed to beat us, they would be ahead of us in the standings with just one game left to play. We would have two more games which would both be must-win games. We came out and, in a welcome change from Friday’s game, scored early. I played a cross to the far post and Apple headed it into the back of the net. Then, we scored again early in the second half to increase our lead to 2-0. It was a very similar style goal to the first one, with Apple finishing a cross from Ashley on the back post. Loyola then got one of their own, scoring off a misplayed ball back to Deebach. It was an exciting finish to the game as Loyola pressed hard, trying to get a second goal. They had one quality chance and Deebach made an amazing save to preserve our lead. It wasn’t our prettiest or smoothest performance but we were able to earn a win and we moved into first place in the Horizon League standings.

Thanks again to the parents for the treat bags on our bus ride back. We’re back at home Friday against Detroit and then at Wright State to finish up the regular season.