The 2011 soccer season came to an end today for the University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team as the Cardinals suffered a 1-0 loss to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado on Sunday afternoon in a second round NCAA Division II Championship game.
The game was played in cold, wet conditions with steady, freezing rain in the first half. Both teams had numerous chances and the pace of the game increased in the second half when the precipitation stopped just before the teams took the field for the final 45 minutes.
“They are a good team and they are well coached,” UIW coach Vincent Martinez said. “It was one of those games where if a bounce goes a different way, we might be the ones winning 1-0. But, it was a tough environment to play in.”
Fort Lewis scored the game's only goal in with just over six minutes left to play on a rebound shot in close against UIW goalkeeper Chris Fidler who had made a great save on the initial shot just moments before and nearly recovered to make the second save to keep the scoreboard with goose eggs.
“Chris made a lot of big-time saves, in close, to keep us in it,” Martinez said.
Incarnate Word (14-3-3 final record) had 14 shots to FLC's 13, but forced the Skyhawks' goalkeeper to make six saves while Fidler was only troubled for three saves on three very dangerous chances for Fort Lewis.
Losing to Fort Lewis means that the Cardinals will be saying goodbye to 11 seniors from their roster – Fidler, Callum Riley, Jesus Cortez, Max Gunderson, Edward Estrada, Alexander Deitz, Edgar Alvarez, Michael Langford, Jon Stephenson, Stefan Vivar and Carlos Gonzalez - who helped create a team that had a lot of potential.
“This was a special group of guys,” Martinez said of his seniors. “And I honestly feel like this team we had this season had the opportunity to go farther than today. They played their hearts out, but sometimes things just don't go your way.”
Returning next season for UIW will be James Nero, Carlos Picado, Vinny Bailey, Abraham Campos, Tenny Adebowale, Ivan Yanez, and Julien Brown-Lathem, to name a few players who all saw time on the field and will be the core unit of next year's team.
