RAMS TAKE THRILLING WIN IN SHOOTOUT
October 26, 2007

Box Score

FORT WORTH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University men’s soccer team (9-7-2) have advanced to Saturday’s Red River Athletic Conference Championship Game with a thrilling win over Houston-Tillotson Univeristy (11-6-2) on Friday.  After 110 minutes of game-time, the match was knotted at three.  Texas Wesleyan won the ensuing shootout 4-2.

Texas Wesleyan’s goalkeeper, Joakim Soderbaum, had a phenomenal day.  While Husotn-Tillotson out shot Texas Wesleyan 44-14, Soderbaum came up with 23 saves.  He then stopped a pair of shots in the shootout.

While the Rams did not hold the edge in shots, they did maintain control of the game for the first 70 minutes.

Huston-Tillotson scored first when Varney Saidu found the net in the eighth minute.  Texas Wesleyan’s Adis Druzanovic answered just 41 seconds later when Seth Mullins found him in front of the net on a free kick.  Druzanovic scored again in the 11th minute off a double-assist from Mullins and Leo Cubrilo.

At the start of the second half, Eddie Hernandez put a free kick into the net to give the Rams a 3-1 margin in the 50th minute.

In the 70th minute, Saidu collected a rebound and scored for Huston-Tillotson.  Texas Wesleyan went a man down after a red card in the 73rd minute, and played the remaining 37 minutes shorthanded.  H-TU tied the game in the 86th minute when Frank Toscano scored off another rebound.

That set things up for the shootout.  H-TU made a goalkeeper change, putting a fresh Gabe Gibbons between the pipes.  Eddie Hernandez scored the first for the Rams.  Soderbaum then blocked H-TU’s first attempt.

Brad Egan and Seth Mullins scored the next two for Texas Wesleyan.  Gibbons then came up with a save on shot number four for the Rams.

Soderbaum saved the next shot and Druzanovic knocked in the final shot to lift Texas Wesleyan to the win.

Head coach Josh Gibbs commented on a tremendous game.  “I thought we had them in regulation, but we let them back in,” Gibbs said.  “I’m glad we had practiced penalties.  Our guys were able to make them and Sven [Soderbaum] was terrific.  After they tied it, it was gut check time for everybody.  I’m very proud of this team, and its great for them to be back in the final.”

With the win, Texas Wesleyan advances to tomorrow’s title game where they will meet #1 UT-Brownsville who defeated Texas College 2-1 in overtime.  That game will mark the Rams second finals appearance in three years.