Oct. 3, 2000
From The Desk Of Pete Curtis -- CSU's rollercoaster season stayed true to form this week as the Vikings both thrilled and frustrated their fans. Over the course of this week's two games, the Vikings outscored their opponents 7-6. Unfortunately for the team, but fortunately for the Krenzler Field "faithful", all of CSU's tallies came in just one game!
Little did the fans realize, before Wednesday's MCC home opener against Detroit, that they were about to witness history in the making. Before the night was over, the Vikings had equalled a long-standing team scoring record and one player had joined an illustrious group of former Viking goalscorers.
The game itself certainly did not start off well for CSU, with the visitors taking the lead just a few minutes into the match following the now familiar defensive miscue. However, within minutes, the Vikings had struck back in decisive fashion. Some tremendous play on the flank by Ryan Sgro (Sr., North Ridgeville, OH) saw the ball driven across the visitor's box to be met by the onrushing Issam "Izzy" Zejly (Fr., Abidjan, Ivory Coast). Following a tremendous sidestep, Izzy sent a firm drive past the Detroit keeper to tie the game. Soon after, Detroit were again cursing "The Wizard of Izz", as he met a Detroit clearance some twenty yards out and thundered a first-time shot into the far corner to put the Vikings ahead 2-1. The first half scoring, however, was still not over as another speculative ball into the Viking box resulted in a Detroit equalizer. Not to be outdone, up stepped defender, Dan Garel (Sr., Markham, Canada), to meet an inswinging corner from Adam Campellone (So., Seven Hills, OH) and drive the ball into the roof of the net for his first of the season. Halftime saw the Vikings leave the field with a lead they would not surrender again.
Those fans thinking that they could not possibly witness another 45 minutes of goalscoring to match the first half's were very much mistaken! With the buzz from Garel's goal almost subsiding, Campellone produced another of his patented moments of magic to conjure up a fourth Viking strike. Closing down a Detroit defender some 25 yards out, he won possession before curling an exquisite early shot over the stunned keeper and into the top corner of the net - brilliant! The fans, having witnessed just three Krenzler Field goals in the entire '99 season, were now in a state of delerium, and it was about to get better! A beautifully worked free kick saw Zejly hammer home his "hat-trick" goal and put the Vikings up 5-2. CSU then made a double substitution, with Pichou Etinde (Sr., Amherst, MA) and Misha Levkov (Jr., Richmond Hill, Canada) entering the fray. Within minutes, they had justified their entry. First, Levkov followed up a fierce drive from Mark Royer (Jr., Scarborough, Canada), that the Detroit keeper was unable to hold, to strike his first goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, Etinde outmanouvred a couple of Detroit defenders at the top of the box before slamming home a shot from 16 yards -- 7-2! A late consolation goal for Detroit, following a goalmouth scramble, did little to take the shine off one of the best offensive displays from a Viking team in some years. The seven goals tied the Krenzler Field record for CSU, while Zejly's hat trick put him in some pretty elite company.
Following the Detroit game, one would assume that the Vikings entered the game at Wright State full of confidence. If they did, it was very well disguised! The same team that had, just days earlier, torn Detroit to pieces, was a pale shadow of itself as, despite taking a 0-0 tie into the halftime break, it was unable to muster any real goalscoring opportunities and was punished for its continuing defensive indecision by conceding three second-half goals, without reply. This game can only be viewed as an opportunity lost as, with an attitude even remotely approaching the Detroit game, the Vikings could very easily have moved to 2-0 in MCC play. On the day, they got what they deserved but, at the season's end, will likely wish that they could do this one over again. Sadly, the team's tendency to concede goals in threes constantly demands an unfairly high rate of production from the offense. Until the defensive players accept the full responsibility for their positions, the Vikings will continue to see "winnable" games slip away from them! With a Sunday trip to MCC champion Illinois-Chicago up next, there could be no better time to "put it all together".
On the injury front, team captain, Ole Christian Haugen (So., Hornindal, Norway), who has missed the last couple of games after sustaining a knee injury, will undergo surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday. Depending upon the extent of the injury and the success of the surgery, it is hoped he may be back in action within a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Viking keeper, James Kryger, who sustained a shoulder injury very early in the Wright State game and was rushed to hospital in Dayton, will undergo a thorough examination by the team doctors on Monday. While early x-rays proved inconclusive, the Vikings are optimistic that further tests will result in a much better prognosis than was initially feared. Watch this page!
