Oct. 25, 2000
From The Desk Of Pete Curtis -- Following the very poor showing at Butler the previous weekend, the Vikings were looking to redeem themselves at Krenzler Field, with Wisconsin-Green Bay in opposition. In contrast to their performance in Indianapolis, CSU came out on fire and dominated the first half-hour of the game, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Alas, none were converted and the Vikings paid the price on the 33-minute mark when Green Bay countered to take a shock lead. With the Vikings still coming to terms with the fact that they were behind in a game they had completely controlled, Green Bay added to their lead in the 40th minute with a carbon copy goal. CSU entered the halftime break not only ruing their inability to finish clear chances, but also their lack of defensive concentration.
Unfortunately, the second half did not get any better, as Green Bay quickly added a third goal just seven minutes into the half and took complete control of the game. Most disappointing, however, was the failure of the Viking defense to learn from previous mistakes, with all three Green Bay goals coming from almost identical situations. A fourth goal followed in the 67th minute to top off a miserable defensive performance from CSU. Elis Ljubuncic's (Sr., Montpellier, VT) 82nd minute goal did little to mask what had been one of the Viking's worst showings of the season.
Sunday saw the arrival of Loyola at Krenzler Field. The Ramblers were enjoying their best season in years and had narrowly lost 3-4 at MCC Champ, UIC, in midweek. Facing a better team than their previous two opponents, the Vikings, playing with a different defensive formation, showed an intensity that had been sadly missing on their previous two outings. Their efforts were rewarded in the 42nd minute, when the brilliant Adam Campellone wrong-footed two Loyola defenders in the penalty area before being tripped for a Viking penalty kick. Up stepped Atle Haaland to bury the kick into the corner for his third PK of the season. Halftime saw the Vikings up 1-0 and battling hard.
The second half brought more of the same, with both teams threatening, but neither able to convert. Misha Levkov (Jr., Richmond Hill, Canada) had a glorious opportunity to put the Vikings up 2-0 in the 57th minute after breaking clear of the Rambler defense. Unfortunately, he dragged his shot wide of the goal and a golden chance went begging. Just seven minutes later, that miss proved costly as the Ramblers drew level. Sophomore, Matteo Zappa (Cleveland, OH) threw himself into a risky tackle in the Viking penalty area that saw a Rambler striker crash to the ground - penalty kick! The kick was subsequently converted and we were all even at one a piece. At this point, Loyola stepped up their game and launched several long-distance efforts on the Viking goal, all of which either sailed wide or were handled comfortably by the Viking keeper, James Kryger (Jr., St. Catharines, Canada), returning after a lengthy layoff with a shoulder injury. The last ten minutes of the game, however, saw some frantic defending by Loyola, as the Vikings created several opportunities in front of the Ramblers' goal. Sadly, the curse of CSU (an inability to finish) struck again and regulation time ended tied 1-1.
Sudden-death overtime saw both teams threatening, however, after ten minutes of tense, end-to-end play, the Ramblers broke the deadlock to take the victory. A ball was routinely cleared by the CSU defense, which then pushed out as a unit, only for a Viking wide midfielder to react slowly and keep a Rambler striker onside right in front of goal. This lapse in concentration cost the Vikings dearly as they saw yet another game slip away from them. Overall, however, this had been a much-improved Viking performance, with the defense, in particular, proving itself capable against decent opposition. Sadly, as has been the case all season long, the chances created by the Vikings were squandered and, once again, they were left bemoaning the lack of just one player with a true striker's instinct.
Next up for the Vikings is a daunting trip to the 9th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. If the defense, anchored by a freshman, Benny Eck (Ottendorf, Germany) can continue its improvement and just one player can accept the goal scoring responsibility, then anything is possible. The chances are most certainly being created. However, the question remains, will anyone step up and take them?
