SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Green Bay (14-3-3) men's soccer team's historic season came to end in the first NCAA tournament game played at Alumni Stadium at Notre Dame. Green Bay's impressive second half performance wasn't enough to upset #19 Notre Dame (11-7-4) in the first round of the NCAA tournament as the Phoenix was defeated 2-1.
For the majority of the first half Notre Dame controlled the ball, testing Green Bay's tough defense, "I thought the first half we got off to a slow start but we played a great second half and swung the momentum of the game," said head coach Tom Poitras.
After Notre Dame had three looks at the goal Green Bay got their first shot at the goal in the 23rd minute off a header byJC Banks (Milwaukee, Wis.) but he was wide left.
In the 25th minute Notre Dame had an open look at the goal but goalkeeper Ryan Wehking (St. Louis, Mo.) came up with a big save. On the other end of the field the Phoenix answered with a shot from David Znaty (Hadera, Israel) when keeper Andrew Quinn was there for the stop.
The first goal of the game came in the 29th minute when Notre Dame's Dillon Powers ran out of room on the dribble deep on the right side and kicked it back in the box. Bright Dike came from the top of the box to land the ball past Wehking in the lower left corner of the net for the 1-0 lead at the break.
At the conclusion of the first half, the Fighting Irish outshot the Phoenix 7-4 with four shots on goal compared to Green Bay's one.
Under ten minutes into the second half, Green Bay's David Prochazka (Gothenburg, Sweden) kicked the ball in on the corner kick for the Phoenix. Banks had a look at the net when his shot barely went over the cross bar. The shot was Banks' second on goal in a matter of three minutes.
With just over 23 minutes to play Notre Dame's Justin Morrow found Jeb Brovsky who gave the Fighting Irish the 2-1 lead. Brovsky faked left but shot the ball into the right side of the back of the net.
Green Bay marched right down the field and answered when Banks found Tony Walls (Wauwatosa, Wis.) in the box to cut Notre Dame's lead in half. The goal was Walls' fourth on the season and the first ever scored by the Phoenix in the NCAA tournament.
Just over 14 minutes to play, Green Bay had two very close shots on goal from Banks and Znaty but Notre Dame's defense was too big. With less than five minutes to play, Banks was in the middle of the box and took a shot only to hit the post and send a sense of urgency on the field for the Phoenix.
With the winds picking up, the Irish clinging to a one-goal lead and 0:14 left on the clock, Green Bay rushed to get a final corner kick attempt and Tony Patterson's (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) header shot was the closest look at the goal the Phoenix got all night off a set play.
"The way we performed in the second half proved to the guys we belong in the tournament and can compete at a very high level," said Poitras.
Green Bay outplayed Notre Dame in the second half outshooting the Fighting Irish 14-9 and 4-2 on corner kicks, "they really put their heart into the game. I was very impressed with their second half performance and they should all be very proud of the way they played," said Notre Dame Head coach Bobby Clark.
"I was not surprised by Green Bay's performance, they definitely lived up to what I thought they were," added Clark. "It's a credit to Notre Dame's defense that they limited our opportunities to score," said Poitras.
Notre Dame advances to the second round in the tournament to play at Northwestern (10-4-4) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The Phoenix finished its historic season with a 14-3-3 record and afterwards was addressed in the locker room by legendary coach Aldo Santaga, "Just because we didn't make goals doesn't mean we're a bad team. You should walk with your heads held high and be proud," added Santaga.
The Green Bay men's soccer season may be over for 2009 but from Aldo Santaga to Tom Poitras, the Phoenix drought in the NCAA tournament is also over; at least for this season, "in Green Bay we don't give up; as long as we keep playing with heart we'll be successful," said senior Francois Basty.
"The biggest thing is we need to be proud of what we accomplished this year, that's something that will never be forgotten," said Poitras.
Courtesy of Green Bay SID Jill Wunrow
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Soccer
