While regular season men's soccer games in the NCAA, officially, end in a tie after two overtimes, the first-ever Gordon Hartman Cup between University of the Incarnate Word and Trinity University is something a bit special – so after playing 110 minutes of 0-0 soccer, the game went to a penalty kick shootout.
Incarnate Word took the decision, and the first Cup, by winning the shootout, 4-2.
The “win” goes down as a tie in both team's official results, but in order to decide which program took home the trophy, PKs were chosen as the deciding factor.
The 0-0 tie is not all that surprising since both teams fired off double-digit shots (UIW 15, Trinity 14) and played hard (the teams combined for 39 fouls and four yellow cards). The major difference, however, is the shots on-goal and saves made by the two goalkeepers.
UIW goalie Ryan Eschenburg faced zero shots in the two overtime periods and only had to make two saves in the game. Meanwhile, the Incarnate Word offense forced Trinity's goalkeeper to make seven saves – putting nearly 50 percent of the shots taken by the Cardinals on-net.
The senior keeper also made two saves in the shootout, stopping the first two Tiger attempts, giving the UIW shooters a massive advantage.
The cup is named for San Antonio businessman and philanthropist Gordon Hartman, president and CEO of the Gordon Hartman Family Foundation. The foundation was formed in 2005 to help Bexar County area non-profit agencies assist families with special needs.
In addition, the Hartman Family Foundation has helped to facilitate a grant which includes the building of 13 championship soccer fields. The state-of-the-art facility will be known as the South Texas Area Regional (STAR) Soccer Complex.
The complex will be located at Morgan's Wonderland, opening in 2010. The park, located on the North East side of the city, will provide an area for special needs individuals to enjoy outdoor activities.
Trinity is ranked No. 11 in NCAA's Division II and has an overall (official) record of 7-1-1. Incarnate Word went into Monday's game ranked 16th in Division II and has a 3-2-3 record. Both schools hope to make the Hartman Cup an annual event, and next season, the game will be played at Incarnate Word.
The tie ends a two-game losing skid for the Cardinals, whose next three games are all on the road, starting with an 8 p.m. matchup against Midwestern State University at the Mustangs' field in Wichita Falls. UIW defeated MSU, 1-0, in the season-opener for both schools at Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium on August 28th.
