The men’s soccer team entered the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) tournament with the most regular season wins it had since 2013.
The Gorloks’ first round matchup against Principia College went into double overtime scoreless. It was decided by a shoot out, which was won by Principia.
Head coach Mike Siener said the tournament game was a tough game against a good team.
“Neither team made a mistake to cost themselves the game in regulation or overtime,” Siener said. “We had several chances to score in the contest, but just didn’t find the back of the net.”
Although the Gorloks lost to Principia in the first round, Siener said there were a lot of positives during the 2017 season.
“Finishing undefeated at home and in the conference was a great accomplishment,” Siener said. “This is the deepest the conference has ever been from a competitive standpoint.”
The Gorloks tied Principia 1-1 in a previous matchup on Oct. 21. That game also went into double overtime.
Senior midfielder Dino Music said the conference games have been the toughest he has seen.
“Against Principia, it is always a physical battle,” Music said. “That game was a rough one because we had three of our players injured before half time. It’s tough to adjust to losing players and I think that was the reason for the tie.”
Music said the team had a much better season than last season. He also said the team and the coaching staff deserves credit for the team’s success this season.
“It’s heartbreaking to lose a game in a shoot out, especially when we played so well,” Music said. “That’s how things work out sometimes . . . so, it’s nothing to be ashamed of after such a great season.”
The Gorloks only allowed 21 goals in 20 games, and only four goals in their past 10 games.
“Our defense was of every player working hard and defending as a group,” Siener said. “Our back four and our keepers were extremely good all year, but so are midfield and strikers. It was really a team effort to shut down so many teams.”
For his efforts, Music was named to the SLIAC All-Conference First Team.
“I’ve worked hard towards this season, and getting [named] All-Conference shows that putting in the work helped,” Music said.
Sophomore defenseman Justin Schmidt was also named SLIAC All-Conference First Team, as well as SLIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Music said Schmidt is one of the best defensive players he has ever played with.
“He knows what to do in every situation, and is a guy that you never have to worry about doing something wrong,” Music said. “He is a player who is well rounded in all aspects of the game, and that’s what makes him so good. He has a lot of talent and will continue to do big things.”
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