Men's Soccer 10/30/2010 4:11:37 PM Chris Gondek, Hartwick SID

Hawks Fall Short at Western Michigan

Men's Soccer 10/30/2010 4:11:37 PM Chris Gondek, Hartwick SID

Hawks Fall Short at Western Michigan

            KALAMAZOO, MI – The Hartwick men's soccer team came up a goal short, 2-1, on the road at Western Michigan on Saturday in Kalamazoo, MI. The Hawks trailed 2-0 in the second half before senior Michael Cunningham (Dunedin, New Zealand/John McGlasham) cut the lead to one in the 66^th minute. He would be unlucky in the late stages of the match as a potential game-tying header hit the crossbar.
            The Hawks fall to 2-13-1 overall and 1-4 in the MAC standings. The loss dashes any hopes of a conference playoff berth. The Broncos improve to 8-7-2 and 3-2 in the MAC and nail down a place in the conference semifinals with the win.
            High winds plagued the contest, creating difficult conditions on flighted balls, especially for the goalkeepers. The Hawks thought they had scored a goal in the opening half as a ball played in towards the Bronco goal got caught in the wind and appeared to cross the line before keeper Sean Lewis caught the ball. The officials disagreed, however, and the game remained 0-0. The first half would end with the hosts holding a 9-2 edge in shots.
            Western Michigan got on the scoreboard first at the 52:50 mark as Derek Schrauben broke the deadlock with his first collegiate goal. Kai Mendes played a corner from the right and Darren Jones got a head on it on the backside. Shane Lyons flicked the ball on and Schrauben volleyed it home past Hartwick keeper Jake Wright (Los Angeles, CA/Cal Northridge) for a 1-0 Bronco lead.
            One minute, 39 seconds later, the Broncos added to their lead as Mendes scored from 10 yards out for his fifth goal of the season.
            Just over 11 minutes later, the Hawks pulled to within one as Cunningham scored in a crowd following a corner for his third tally of the season.

            With under five minutes remaining in the match a Hartwick corner produced a great chance to tie the game. Cunningham met the corner well and had Lewis beat, but his powerful header ricocheted off the bar. Evan Doan (Garland, TX/N. Garland) had one last chance for the Hawks just over a minute later but his shot went wide of the target.
            The Broncos finished the match with advantages in shots (18-7) and corners (8-6). They defeat the Hawks for the first time in seven tries since Hartwick joined the MAC. Wright made seven saves in the Hartwick goal. Lewis stopped two shots.
            The Hawks will wrap up the season next Saturday on Elmore against the #1 ranked Akron Zips (14-1-1).

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