Hawks take GLVC title at home
Look to stay hot as NCAA tourney rolls into the Rock
Brian Roewe
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Sports
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"We are very happy for the team, especially the seniors," said assistant coach Giorgio Antongirolami. "They are all great leaders, but this is only the first step."
Rockhurst made a day of late goals, tallying both their scores in the final three minutes of each half.
Senior Tommy Heinemann first put the Hawks ahead in the 42nd minute of the first half. After a free kick, junior Mark Anthony Foster brought the ball along the right sideline into Norse territory. Six yards out, he sent a crossing pass to Heinemann who headed it home for the Hawks' first score and his team-leading tenth of the season.
Rockhurst sealed the victory in the 88th minute thanks to another senior, Pat Kerns. Catching the Norse upfield, Heinemann, along with two forwards, moved the ball across midfield and toward the net in a 3-on-2. His shot was blocked by the defense, but it deflected to junior Kyle Samuelson, who slid it over to Kerns, who ripped a shot from four yards out for his first goal of the year.
The title was Rockhurst's second in the past four years, the previous coming in 2005.
"It's so exciting. It's just great to win," said Haggai Leboo, who's tallied five goals this season. "For us, it's been a team effort all season."
"We've worked hard all year for this," commented senior defender Spencer Martens.
Rockhurst now looks ahead toward the NCAA-Division II Tournament. Ranked sixth in the nation, they play host to the Midwest Regional first- and second-round games on Friday and Sunday. No. 1 seed Rockhurst will play No. 4 seed Lewis on Friday at 7 p.m. The winning team will meet the victor of the No 2. Northern Kentucky/No. 3 Ashland (Ohio) game on 1 p.m. on Bourke Field.
"The win today [Sunday] was nice, but we're ready for the next level," said Heinemann. "We're going all the way."
In their opening game of the GLVC tourney, Rockhurst defeated Wisconsin-Parkside 2-1 in overtime thanks to another header by Heinemann. Their semifinal game with Drury proved a defensive stand-off as both sides battled for 110 minutes through 2 OTs without a goal.
Had it not been for goalkeeper Chad Becker's heroics, Rockhurst may have never seen the championship game on Sunday. Becker made three consecutive saves on the way to a 5-4 SO win. Senior Steve Valenta's score in the seventh round set up Becker's biggest save, a diving stop to his left to deny Drury's Andrew Bordelon.
On Sunday, early action on Bourke Field favored Northern Kentucky as they kept play in the Hawks' defensive zone. Two chances came within the 8th and 10th minutes as defender Tony Ray made key throw-ins into the goal box, but the Hawks stingy D denied each attempt. The Hawks had their first opportunity two minutes later as Heinemann broke between two defenders and managed two shots - one off his own rebound - against keeper Michael Lavric.
Becker, the GLVC defender of the year, continued his dominant play, building a wall in front of the Rockhurst net all afternoon. He made a superb save in the 17th minute as he blocked the header attempt from Dustin Downey with one arm, falling back into his own net. Finishing with a total of five saves, Becker turned away all three shots coming off a barrage of corner and free kicks in the second half.
But it was the entire defensive effort that helped the Hawks to their 14th shutout of the year. Seniors Martens and Caleb Haydorn led the effort, keeping GLVC Offensive Player of the Year Steven Beattie off the scoreboard, holding him without a shot all game.
The game became more aggressive as time became sparse. The refs blew their whistles for 32 fouls, including three yellow cards, two for Rockhurst. But it were the early fouls that proved fatal for Northern Kentucky. In the 41st minute, a Northern Kentucky player sent Haydorn flying into a chair off the field. The ensuing free kick led to the Heinemann goal.
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