Simon Fraser University was stopped in the final four of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer championships for a second straight year.
Unheralded Carson-Newman University came back from a 1-0 first-half deficit to score a 3-2 victory over the No. 12-ranked Clan in the NCAA semifinal in Evans, Georgia on Thursday.
Unlike last season, when SFU came out flat in its national semifinal debut against upstart Saginaw Valley State, the Clan scored first and could have had more in the first half.
“We weren’t good enough,” said SFU head coach Alan Koch in a school press release. “We took our foot off the pedal after we scored. We had ample opportunity once we went up one nothing and could have gone up two, three, four nothing, and the game would have been over at that stage. However, we didn’t, and that is the sport that we play. We allowed them back in it. They outworked us tonight, so I take my hat off to them for that.”
Jovan Blagojevic opened the scoring for the Clan on a diving header off a cross from Chris Bargholz in the 14th minute.
Five minutes in the second half, Carson-Newman’s Ross Frame notched his 19th goal of the year to draw the two teams even.
Ten minutes later, the unranked Eagles went ahead on a through ball from Frame that Sindre Welo tucked behind SFU keeper Brandon Watson for a 2-1 lead.
Juan Sanchez then drew SFU even on a header from Blagojevic.
But with just over one minute to go in regulation time, Carson-Newman’s Joao Dowsley played the hero, beating Watson with a shot that went in on the keeper’s foot.
Dowsley said it was the greatest moment of his soccer career.
For SFU, it was another missed opportunity, said Koch.
“I didn’t think we took the opportunity tonight,” Koch said. “They didn’t take us by surprise at all. … I think we need to give ourselves a bit of a head shake because this is the second year in a row we have come to the final four and been outworked, and there is no excuse for that.”
Carson-Newman was defeated 2-1 by No. 2-ranked Southern New Hampshire in the NCAA championship final.
