Box Score
Morris, Minn. - The University of Minnesota, Morris men's soccer team scored another late victory today (Oct. 2), winning 3-2 in double overtime over Martin Luther.
With less than three minutes left in the second overtime, the Cougars' Greg Borchers (Westminster, Colo.) lined up a free kick – following the game's 27th foul – and unleashed the game-winner over the wall of Knight defenders and past the outstretched arm of the goalkeeper for the final mark in the 3-2 win.
It was an intense game all around, that saw over 107 minutes of play, 40 total shots, 27 fouls, four different goalkeepers and five total goals.
The Cougars Toby Glaser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took an amazing 10 shots in the game, and gave the Cougars their first lead with his goal at 14:06 of the first period. Glaser had already missed on several attempts early in the match, but made good on this one, point blank in front of the net on an assist from Jeff Lind (Robbinsdale, Minn.).
Matt Vik (St. Paul, Minn.) scored the Cougars second goal of the first half, but not until the Knights had gotten on the board just four minutes earlier. On a free kick after a foul, Martin Luther's Kaleb Buch beat UMM keeper Tyler Simpson (Broomfield, Colo.) to tie the match at 31:02. Vik then answered at 35:35 to give the lead back to UMM.
Up 2-1, the Cougars took their lead into halftime, but came out with a different goalkeeper as Simpson was forced to sit out the second half after an injury on the free-kick goal from MLC. Freshman Adam Kounkel (Monticello, Minn.) was inserted and played well, until Martin Luther tied it back up with a goal in the 89th minute after a scramble in the front of the net.
The 2-2 score held until the end of regulation and into overtime. However, in the first extra session, Kounkel was red carded after a collision with a Knight offender when Kounkel came out of the box and was the last line of defense. Kounkel was ejected, another freshman in Zachary Van Cleve (St. Paul, Minn.) was sent in net, and the Cougars had to play a man down for the rest of the match.
Minnesota, Morris held serve for the rest of the first overtime, and Borchers finished off the win in the second. The Cougars controlled the game and outshot the Knights 25-to-15 on the match, but the Knights held the shots edge, 2-to-1 in the two overtimes combined.
Van Cleve gets his first career win in the nets, finishing with one save on the day, and helping UMM to their third straight win.
Minnesota, Morris is unbeaten in their last four matches and will take their 3-1-1 conference record into action next against Presentation, at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 8.
