By: Illinois College smothered teams with its defense all season. On Friday, the Blueboys held the MWC regular season champions in check until the 80th minute when the Prairie Fire notched the winning goal.
Box Score GALESBURG, Ill. – After giving up four goals in the first matchup against Knox without the presence of
Andrew Matheney in defense, Head Coach
Tyler Sheikh of the Illinois College men's soccer team knew that his team wouldn't be picked apart in that way again. He was right. The Blueboys handled nearly every threat thrown their way by the Prairie Fire attack. Unfortunately, one of the last clear chances of the match finally found the back of the IC net and that was all it took to eliminate Illinois College in the Midwest Conference semifinals on Friday. No. 1 seed Knox moves into the MWC Championship match after getting past the Blueboys, 1-0.
"Very few teams get to end their seasons with a W. In fact, those that do are either without a postseason or those winning a championship," commented Sheikh.
Knox started strong and maintained pressure in the Illinois College final third much of the first half, yet the defense didn't allow a shot to reach goalkeeper
Scott Workman until the 14th minute as the junior made a save on a Nathaniel Logie shot. At the half, Knox was outshooting IC, 9-0, and had four corners to none for the Blueboys, yet the match was scoreless thanks to the strong work rate of the IC defense. Again and again, defenders would sacrifice themselves to get in front and block Prairie Fire shots inside the area.
The first shot for Illinois College came in the 52nd minute as
Ben Cochran fired to the right of the frame. It was the last chance that the Blueboys would get before they found themselves chasing the game.
The goal for Knox came on a stunning individual effort in the 80th minute. After the Prairie Fire corralled possession of a Workman goal kick, the ball came to the feet of Shu Kitamura just inside the Illinois College half. Kitamura weaved through the center of the field before lining himself up from 25 yards with the ball on his right foot. His shot bounced low and tucked itself inside the left post to beat Workman by inches.
Following the goal, Illinois College had its best chance of the match. Off of a throw-in that sailed into the middle of the Knox penalty area,
Jordan Blair outfought the Prairie Fire defense to put his head on the ball and direct it goal-bound. Knox keeper Sean Dockrell was beaten, but the header hit the right post and bounced away. The last IC shot was a flick off the head of
Alex Gardner on a corner that stayed left of the target.
"We made good strides as a program in making the MWC Tournament," said Sheikh, reflecting on the season. "Rightfully, to every young man, postseason play was not satisfactory and their determination today versus a quality Knox team proved that. The guys feel down now, but I told them how they'll reflect on their effort today and on the season with uplifting thoughts. I cannot commend the seniors enough and know our returners will use this as motivation."
Despite the loss, the year was an incredible success for Illinois College in the first season under the direction of Sheikh. The Blueboys end the year at 10-7-2 and with their first MWC Tournament bid since the 1993 season. Knox will face the winner of No. 2 Lake Forest and No. 3 Carroll in tomorrow's championship match.
