Sept. 25, 2000
From The Desk Of Pete Curtis -- With the first victory of the new campaign under their belts, the Vikings headed off to South Bend, Indiana, to take on the "Fighting Irish" of Notre Dame in Tuesday's match-up. On a warm night, and with a beautiful playing surface on which to perform, CSU was looking for an upset road win in the Hoosier State.
Unfortunately, the first half saw the Vikings generate little in the way of offense, as the midfield failed to come to terms with the pressure put upon them by the home side. Fortunately, Ole Christian Haugen (So., Hornindal, Norway) was in inspired form on defense, and his outstanding reading of situations and passing ability helped repulse much of the opposition's offensive flow a good distance from CSU's goal. Subsequently, Notre Dame was restricted to mostly speculative long-range efforts on the Viking goal as CSU's defense stood firm. The Vikings were forced to adjust somewhat by the loss of striker, Ryan Sgro (Sr., N. Ridgeville, OH), after just 25 minutes of the first half, with a suspected concussion. Despite this setback, the teams were still deadlocked at 0-0 at half time, and the Vikings were still very much in the hunt!
The whole perspective of the game, however, changed around the hour mark when, after an outstanding one-on-one save by keeper, James Kryger (Jr., St. Catharines, Canada), the Viking defense failed to clear the ball and defender, Josh Lidala (Fr., Westerville, OH) brought down a Notre Dame striker for a penalty. The penalty was converted and, with the Vikings still reeling from the loss of that goal, things got worse just 90 seconds later. A Notre Dame midfielder was allowed to drift by a number of poor challenges, over some 40 yards, before slipping the ball by Kryger for a second goal. Now CSU was in trouble! The most disappointing aspect of the scoreline was that, for all of their possession, the home team had only created a couple of real opportunities.
Following the second goal, John Schaller (So., Medina, OH) entered the game for the Vikings, in an effort to shore up the midfield. This he did and, within a handful of minutes, he had put the Vikings back into the game with the first goal of his college career. A smart free kick from Adam Campellone (So., Seven Hills, OH) found Schaller drifting into the penalty area, and he one-timed a volley into the corner of the net to take the score to 1-2. However, despite pressing late, CSU was unable to add to Schaller's goal and left the field disappointed at another close loss.
Friday saw the Vikings regroup to take on Niagara at Krenzler Field in their final tune-up game before the commencement of MCC play the following Wednesday. Unfortunately, things did not start so well as, within a few minutes of the game starting, CSU lost their inspirational skipper, Ole Christian Haugen, to a bad knee injury. Again, the Vikings were forced to improvise and the loss of Haugen's influence was obvious. However, just as things were looking bleak, Ryan Sgro was first to react to a loose ball in the Niagara box and slammed it into the back of the net for the go-ahead goal, his first of 2000. Amazingly, the Vikings had no sooner taken a breath and Niagara was level. A CSU defender was caught in possession about 30 yards out and punished severely, as the resultant strike sailed over keeper, Josep Novkowic (Jr., Euclid, OH), and into the far corner of the net to tie the score at 1-1. Again, a CSU defensive lapse had cost them dearly. However, with one half of the Viking's Norwegian duo sidelined with an injury, it was left to his compatriot, Atle Haaland (So., Kvinesdal, Norway), to put the smiles back on everyone's faces with his fourth goal of the season. A well-struck corner from Campellone saw Haaland rise above the visitor's defense to power a header past the helpless Niagara keeper. The Vikings were back in front - to stay! Despite opportunities for both teams in the second half, the score remained at 2-1 and CSU recorded their second victory in three games.
Next up is a home MCC match-up, with Detroit (4-0 conquerors of CSU in '99), on Wednesday, followed by a long trip to Wright State on Sunday. If the Vikings are to improve, then they must step up to the challenge facing them as the MCC season arrives with a bang. Despite the injuries and adversity the team has faced, they continue to show progress and, with a little tighter defense, can continue to upset opponents. This next week will tell us a lot!
