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'Runners slide into NCAA playoffs with win over Orediggers
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

With the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, the Metro men’s soccer team needed to pull out at least one win in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to have a chance at grasping the last bid for the “Big Dance.”

Metro got that one big win in the first round of the RMAC Tournament by defeating the Colorado School of Mines 3-2 in double overtime Oct. 27 in Pueblo.

“We played extremely well with the pressure of Friday’s game,” head coach Ken Parsons said. “The winner of that game was probably going to get that last spot in the tournament.”

Midfielder Mark Cromie, who earned all-second team honors this season, came up with the first goal of the game on a blast from midfield that was just out of reach of Mines goalkeeper Kevin Galloway. Parsons said the first goal was important for his team so they didn’t have to play from behind.

“There was a great deal of pressure to get an early goal,” Parsons said. “We got a good goal from Cromie, and it showed that we’re digging deep to win that game.”

Mines came roaring back with two goals in five minutes. Forward Craig Thompson got the Orediggers going on a penalty kick in the 31st minute. A few minutes later defensive back Daniel Lockley scored his second goal of the season after a free kick led to a scramble for the ball, which Lockley kicked home for the 2-1 lead.

Around the 33rd minute, the game got physical as yellow cards were given to midfielder Antonio Porras and Cromie. Ten minutes later Mines midfielder Masaki Hemmi received two yellow cards in five minutes and was removed from the game.

It was an opportunity for Metro to take advantage of the extra man over the Orediggers. The advantage soon came to an end when Porras received his second yellow card of the game to even the playing field. Four more yellow cards were handed out in the game, but no more red cards were issued.

Metro defenseman Andrew Donnelly came up with the tying goal in the 54th minute, when he tapped in a header from a few yards out on assists from Cromie and defensive back Garret Sadusky. It was Donnelly’s first goal of the year.

The second overtime belonged to Metro as they put up three shots on goal, including the game-winning goal by freshman midfielder Mike Martinez with only 43 seconds left in the second overtime.