Men's Soccer Falls in Region 24 Quarterfinals
John Wood Community College Advances to Semifinals After Penalty Shootout
NORMAL, Ill. - Two overtime periods and a penalty shootout were needed to decide the winner between the Hawks and the Blazers of John Wood Community College. John Wood would take the shootout in the seventh round to defeat the Hawks and advance to the Region 24 Semifinals.
The Hawks found themselves behind by a goal twice in the first 45 minutes of the match, with the first goal coming from John Wood's Aaron Schoneck in the 6th minute. Heartland's
Matheus Giron would answer 22 minutes later to score the equalizer, with the assist coming from
Owen Punselie. John Wood would find the back of the net again before halftime to go up 2-1.
It was in the second half of the match that
Owen Punselie and the Hawks took off. After 18 minutes of scoreless play in the second half, Punselie took a chance and fired a bullet into the back of the net past John Wood's Eric Lubbert, bringing the score to 2-2. Just 13 minutes later, Punselie rocketed a shot from 20 yards out, perfectly placed in the upper right corner of the net to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead, the first lead they'd had in the match. John Wood would answer in the 90th minute on a set piece to force golden goal overtime.
Minutes into the first overtime, the Hawks pressed the net hard, creating multiple scoring opportunities to finish the match early. Three shots on the same drive would deflect off the crossbar, keeping John Wood alive long enough to go to a second overtime. After no goals were scored in the second overtime, a winner was left to be decided by a penalty shootout. The Hawks overcame a deficit again in the shootout, forcing a sudden death situation. John Wood's Eric Lubbert would stop
Angel Lopez from scoring the go ahead goal, giving the Blazers the advantage going into the seventh round, where they would score the winning goal. The Hawks would finish the match outshooting John Wood 35-10.
The Hawks finish their record-breaking season with a 10-5 record, going undefeated in away contests. John Wood will advance to the Region 24 Semifinals in Godfrey, Illinois against Lewis & Clark Community College.
