DeKALB, IL (November 5) -- Two quick scoring flurries led to a pair of
upsets in the quarterfinal round of the 1999 Best Western Mid-American
Conference men's soccer championship tournament on Friday (Nov. 5).
Eighth-seeded Western Michigan scored twice in a 55-second
span early in the second half to upset top seed Akron 2-1. The Zips
grabbed a quick lead on Frank Ross' goal at the 4:04 mark, with the UA
midfielder knocking a 17-yard blast off a WMU defender and past Eric
Pogue for a 1-0 lead.
Chad Wiseman tallied the equalizer at 55:20, taking a Trevor
Garrison feed for a six-yarder from the right side of the net. WMU
sustained the pressure with Rob Friend stealing a pass to set up a
17-yard shot past Kyle Milligan for the eventual match-winner. Akron
out-shot the Broncos 18-8 but Pogue registered eight saves for the
victory. WMU advanced to the semifinals with a 2-14-3 ledger while
Akron fell to 11-4-2.
Western Michigan will face the second-seeded University of
Kentucky after the Wildcats defeated seventh-seeded Eastern Michigan
1-0. After a scoreless first half, UK hit the net just 2:23 into the
second period for what proved to be the lone goal of the match. Rob
Frey connected from five yards out, converting a Giovanni Fernandes
pass to beat George Tomasso. Kentucky's defense smothered EMU,
allowing just nine shots with Brian O'Leary needing to make only two
saves. The Wildcats climbed to 11-6-1 on the season while Eastern
Michigan dropped to 6-13-0.
WMU and UK meet in Sunday's (Nov. 7) first semifinal match,
beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Huskie Soccer Field. The second semifinal
features host Northern Illinois, which upset Bowling Green to earn a
second-round berth versus Marshall.
The sixth-seeded Huskies broke free from a 1-1 halftime tie to
defeat No. 3 seed BGSU 4-2. Alex D'Orsi tallied a goal and three
assists to lift Northern Illinois to 11-8-0 on the season while
Bowling Green saw its record dip to 8-10-1.
D'Orsi netted the tying goal at 14:33 and set up all three
second-half tallies, including a pair of goals by Jason Ryder. The
first of those came from 15 yards out at 48:41 to give NIU a 2-1 lead,
only to be answered by Gene Braxton at the 69:08 mark. Ryder
re-established the lead for Northern Illinois at 76:19, launching a
12-yarder just inside the far post to put NIU up 3-2. Robby Berkley
added an insurance marker at 84:26, taking D'Orsi's lead pass and
chipping a 12-yarder over goalkeeper Ty Fowler.
Bowling Green out-shot Northern Illinois 22-20 and owned a
13-1 margin in corner kicks but could not solve the Huskie defense
with Rasih Pala making six saves.
NIU meets No. 4 seed Marshall after the Thundering Herd edged
fifth seed Buffalo 2-1. Byron Carmichael put Marshall ahead at the
14-minute mark with a short tap after passes from Brent Sobczak and
Ian Leggat. Marshall pushed the margin to 2-0 at 77:55 with Jeremy
Albract launching a 12-yard shot from out front past Justin Deming.
That second goal proved vital at 83:25 when Chris Vinci's
crossing pass found Perry Duronio in front of the net to put UB on the
board. Buffalo could not net the equalizer, however, falling to
10-7-1 while Marshall improved its season record to 9-10-1.
Sunday's schedule has NIU and Marshall meeting at 1:30 p.m.,
with the two semifinal winners vying for the tourney title Nov. 14.
The higher-seeded team remaining earns the right to host that
contest.
1999 Mid-American Conference Championship Tournament
Hosted by Northern Illinois University
at DeKalb, IL
Huskie Soccer Complex
FRIDAY'S QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
(No. 1 seed) Akron 1, (No. 8 seed) Western Michigan 2
(No. 2 seed) Kentucky 1, (No.7 seed) Eastern Michigan 0
(No. 6 seed) Northern Illinois 4, (No. 3 seed) Bowling Green 2
(No. 4 seed) Marshall 2, (No. 5 seed) Buffalo 1
FINAL SCORE: (No. 1 seed) AKRON 1, (No. 8 seed) WESTERN MICHIGAN 2
Score-by-Halves: 1st 2nd Final
Western Michigan 0 - 2 - 2
Akron 1 - 0 - 1
WMU is now 2-14-3 on the season
UA is now 11-4-2 on the season
Scoring Summary:
UA --- Frank Ross (unassisted), 17-yarder from center off defender,
4:04 Gone, 1st Half.
WMU --- Chad Wiseman (Trevor Garrison assist), six-yarder from right
side off crossbar, 55:20 Gone, 2nd Half.
WMU -- Rob Friend (unassisted), 17-yarder from center off steal,
56:15 Gone, 2nd Half.
FINAL SCORE: (No. 2 seed) KENTUCKY 1, (No. 7 seed) EASTERN MICHIGAN 0
Score-by-Halves: 1st 2nd Final
Eastern Michigan 0 - 0 - 0
Kentucky 0 - 1 - 1
EMU is now 6-13-0 on the season
UK is now 11-6-1 on the season
Scoring Summary:
UK -- Rob Frey (Giovanni Fernandes assist), five-yarder from left of
center, 47:23 Gone, 2nd Half.
FINAL SCORE: (No. 6 seed) NORTHERN ILLINOIS 4, (No. 3 seed) BOWLING GREEN 2
Score-by-Halves: 1st 2nd Final
Northern Illinois 1 - 3 - 4
Bowling Green 1 - 1 - 2
NIU is now 11-8-0 on the season
BGSU is now 8-10-1 on the season
Scoring Summary:
BGSU --- Chris Dore (Matt Lyons assist), seven-yarder from right of
center off 2-on-1 break, 12:09 Gone, 1st Half.
NIU --- Alex D'Orsi (Paal Bay Braathen assist), eight-yarder in
center off 2-on-1 break, 14:33 Gone, 1st Half.
NIU --- Jason Ryder (Alex D'Orsi assist), 15-yarder from right side,
48:41 Gone, 2nd Half.
BGSU --- Gene Braxton (Ben Vaccaro assist), five-yarder from center
off cross, 69:08 Gone, 2nd Half.
NIU --- Jason Ryder (Alex D'Orsi assist), 12-yarder from right of
center off cross, 76:19 Gone, 2nd Half.
NIU --- Robby Berkley (Alex D'Orsi assist), 12-yard chip over
goalkeeper off 2-on-1 break, 84:26 Gone, 2nd Half
FINAL SCORE: (No. 4 seed) MARSHALL 2, (No. 5 seed) BUFFALO 1
Score-by-Halves: 1st 2nd Final
Buffalo 0 - 1 - 1
Marshall 1 - 1 - 2
UB is now 10-7-1 on the season
MU is now 9-10-1 on the season
Scoring Summary:
MU --- Byron Carmichael (Brent Sobczak, Ian Leggat assists),
12-yarder from right side inside post, 12:00 Gone, 1st Half.
MU --- Jeremy Albracht (Unassisted), 12-yarder in center, 77:55 Gone,
2nd Half.
UB --- Perry Duronio (Chris Vinci assist), four-yarder from center
off cross, 83:25 Gone, 2nd Half.
SUNDAY'S (NOV. 7) SEMIFINAL MATCHES
Kentucky vs. Western Michigan, 11:30 a.m.
Marshall vs. Northern Illinois, 1:30 p.m.
NEXT SUNDAY'S (NOV. 14) CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Semifinal winners, at home of higher remaining seed, time to be
announced.