Men's Soccer season ends in penalty kicks to St. Norbert (Wis.) in the First Round of NCAA Division III Tournament

By Tim Glon

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Ohio Northern and St. Norbert (Wis.) played to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes of regulation and two overtimes in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Zuidema Field.

But in tournament play someone has to advance, and SNC edged ONU 3-2 in penalty kicks to keep its season alive. 

The Polar Bears end their season at 13-6-3, while the Knights end their season at 16-4-3 advance to the second round on Saturday at 1 pm against tournament host and No. 2-ranked Calvin (Mich.)

The match officially goes as a 0-0 draw with St. Norbert advancing in the tournament on penalty kicks.

Senior Luke Fickenworth (Cincinnati/Anderson) and senior Tim Hoffman (Strongsville) each scored and sophomore keeper John Lombardo (Solon) made two saves as the shootout was tied at 2-2 entering the fifth and final round.

ONU missed and SNC scored, ending what was a solid all-around performance by the Polar Bears.

"I thought both teams played well and it was a very even game," ONU head coach Chris Matejka said. "We had several very good opportunities and St. Norbert had some good ones, too. At the end of the day we didn't take advantage of our chances and wound up being eliminated in one of the cruelest ways to lose in sports - penalty kicks."

Junior Beelal Hasan (Westerville/Thomas) hit both posts on the same shot in the 69th minute, but the ball somehow stayed out of the net. He fired a shot from the left side, which was deflected by the Knight goalie and hit the near post. It bounced across the open goal and hit the far post before kicking back out into the field of play, keeping the match scoreless.

With temperature in the upper 30s, the frozen grass surface began to thaw as the matches progressed on Friday, leaving the middle of the field muddy and difficult to navigate.

Each team had outstanding scoring chances in the first overtime period, with SNC just missing wide in the 94th minute and Hasan and sophomore Seth Gundlach (Wilmington) missing in the 96 and 97th minutes.

"We pride ourselves on shutouts and we were very good defensively from top to bottom," ONU senior John Sternasty (Akron/Revere) said. "It was a great season and I'm proud of what we accomplished this year."

"Our season started with a wonderful trip to Barcelona, Spain, in August," Matejka said. "We had some great moments during the season and it ended with a trip to the NCAA IIi Tournament. It is a season and team I will always remember."

Ohio Northern out-shot St. Norbert 25-15 and held a 10-5 advantage in corner kicks. Lombardo made three saves in goal to record his ninth shutout of the season.