Soccer Buzzer-Beater Deflates Cobbers

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/23/12)—If it were a basketball game it would have been a buzzer-beating half-court shot that won the game. If it was football it would have been a "Hail Mary" pass as time expired that bounced off two defenders and was caught for a touchdown. Instead it was soccer and the Cobbers lost on a last-second 50-yard desperation shot that found nothing but net.

Concordia conceded the game-winning goal with 18-seconds to play and lost 3-2 to Augsburg in Moorhead on Tuesday. Concordia and Auggies battled through 89 minutes and were level at 2-2 before a career shot taken from just inside the half line sailed into the far side of the net for the winner.

The loss drops Concordia to 6-11-0 in overall games and 3-6-0 in league play. Augsburg wins for the second straight game and is now 10-5-2 and 5-3-1 in the MIAC.

Augsburg got on the board first with a goal in the 28^th minute of play but then the Cobbers came roaring back to take a 2-1 lead on a pair of goals from midfielder Michael Forston. Forston's first strike at 29:52 came on the right wing after he beat the Auggie defender and hammered the ball into the far side of the net. His second goal arrived less than three minutes later when he headed home a ball from six yards out after a mix-up between the Augsburg goalie and a defender. The tally at 32:30 was Forston's sixth of the year and tied him for the team lead in goals.

Concordia was unable to take their one-goal lead deep into the second half due to an early strike 3:30 after halftime. The game would then be played from end to end as both teams bypassed the rain-soaked, sloppy middle of the field and tried to attack the opposing team's defensive 1/3 of the field.

Augsburg enjoyed a 15-11 edge in total shots and a slight 8-6 margin in shots on goal. Both teams had two corner kicks in the game. Concordia goalie Peter Runquist stopped five shots while Auggie goalie Jeb Bates made four saves to earn his first collegiate win.

The Cobbers will finish off the 2012 season when they play at St. John's on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.