A Thrilling 0-0 Playoff-Clinching Tie

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/25/14)—Soccer antagonists would call it another boring goalless tie. Cobber soccer fans call it a thrilling 110-minute defensive battle which earned Concordia its 12th consecutive MIAC playoff berth.

Concordia and Carleton couldn't solve the defensive puzzle for 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime and played to a 0-0 tie. The Cobbers and Knights entered the game as two of the top three defensive teams in the league and it showed as neither team was able to get good looks at the goal.

The 0-0 tie earned the Cobbers a single point in the standings. CC is now 6-1-2 in league games which gives Concordia 20 MIAC points. That total is enough to clinch a spot in upcoming six-team conference playoff tournament. Unfortunately the tie drops the Cobbers out of first place and into a tie for third place with Carleton. With two games left in the regular season, Concordia trails Augsburg and St. Benedict by a single point.

Concordia wound up outshooting Carleton 13-6 in total shots and 6-4 in shots on goal for the game but it was the Knights who had the closest chances. Carleton had a pair of shots stopped by Cobber defenders standing on the post for corner kicks. The Knights also had a goal disallowed after an attacker interfered with CC goalie Elizabeth Bitzan as Bitzan tried to play the ball by the goal.

The two teams also possess two of the top midfield combinations in the league and both groups showed off their possession skills. The game was controlled in the middle of the field for large chunks of time and most offensive chances were created from midfield play.

The top two shot takers in the game both came from the midfield. Concordia senior Laura Prosinski had three shots as did her counterpart Ava Lewis from Carleton. Cobber forward Rochelle Hickerson added two shots.

Bitzan made four saves for Concordia and earned her league-leading ninth shutout of the season. She also lowered her goals against average to 0.65. Bitzan has now recorded three shutouts in the last five games.

Concordia will finish off the regular season by playing a pair of road games. The Cobbers will play a night game at Macalester on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and then travel to Collegeville to take on league-leading St. Benedict on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.  CC can finish anywhere from first to fifth place depending on the outcome of the league games played in the final week.