FENTON, Mo. - Webster University closed out the home portion of its men's soccer schedule here Saturday afternoon by watching Fontbonne score a goal just 25 seconds into the second overtime period to suffer a 2-1 setback to the Griffins in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at World Wide Technology Soccer Park.
The loss, which was just the second for the Gorloks in league play this season, dropped Webster's overall record to 13-4-1 and its SLIAC record to 5-2-1, while Fontbonne improved to 9-9-0 overall and 6-3-0 in the SLIAC.
Despite the setback, Webster, who has one match left in the regular season as they play a make-up game on Monday at Principia College, remains alive for a berth in the SLIAC Tournament, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 1.
After play on Saturday, only two teams had clinched spots in the SLIAC Tournament as Spalding won the regular season league title despite its 5-1 loss on Saturday to Iowa Wesleyan and Greenville, who is 6-2-1 in the league. Along with Webster, the others teams still alive for the final two spots in the tournament are Fontbonne (6-3), Principia (5-3) and Iowa Wesleyan (5-3). IWU, like Webster and Principia, will close out the regular season with a make-up game against MacMurray on Monday, while Fontbonne has completed the regular season.
Saturday's match, which was a hotly contested contest for over 100 minutes, featured a combined 35 fouls, six yellow cards and a red card given to Webster junior defender
Justin Schmidt (St. Louis, Mo./Metro) in the 97th minute of the match. Schmidt's red card gave Fontbonne a man-advantage for the remainder of the match.
Both teams also combined for 39 shots and 21 shots on goal as Fontbonne outshot Webster, 23-16, including 11-4 in the first half.
Fontbonne scored the first goal of the match in the 27th minute as Blake Smugala took a rebound shot and connected from about 20 yards out to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead.
About five minutes later, Webster junior midfielder
Chris Clay (Quincy, Ill./Millikin) drew a foul in the box and was awarded a penalty kick, which he connected on for his third goal of the season.
That would be the final goal of the match in regulation as the teams would play next 58-plus minutes without putting a ball in the net, despite having numerous scoring opportunities.
In the 83rd and 85th minute, Fontbonne had two shots at scoring but a shot from Nick Wolf in the 83rd minute was saved by Gorlok sophomore goalkeeper
Matt Amick (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) and then a header by Smugala was high in the 85th minute.
Webster had two shots to end the match in regulation in the 88th minute but a shot by Clay was saved by Fontbonne goalkeeper Drew Blair and about 34 seconds later, a shot by freshman forward
Aamahn Murvin (Sahuarita, Ariz./Walden Grove) was also saved by Blair.
In the first overtime period, both teams took two shots, but couldn't connect on a goal after Schmidt's red card left Webster with just 10 men, sophomore midfielder
Joacquin Soto (Flagstaff, Ariz./Flagstaff) took a shot in the 99th minute that was saved by Blair.
Fontbonne would take the opening possession of the second overtime and just 25 seconds into the second extra session, Smugala scored an unassisted goal that just got past Amick to seal the Griffins win. It was the second goal of the match for Smugala.
Clay finished the match with a team-high four shots, including three shots on goal, while Murvin and Soto each had three shots in the loss.
Smugala led Fontbonne with 10 shots and five shots on goal, while Nick Wolf had three shots and Charles Gibbs and Andres Castro each had two shots in the win.
Amick (10-3-1) took the loss in net for the Gorloks as he recorded 12 saves and allowed just two goals. Blair (7-5-0) was equally effective as he had six saves and allowed just one goal.
Webster will close out the regular season on Monday, Oct. 29 with a 6 p.m. match in Elsah, Ill., against Principia College. The match was originally scheduled for Oct. 6, but was postponed due to lightning and inclement weather.
