Punching Our Ticket

One sign of a good team is the ability to overcome adversity, while another is the ability to finish a close game on the road. Luther was able to do both of those things on Wednesday afternoon, as well as clinch their spot in the IIAC postseason tournament. Although those on the inside already knew this of Luther, this was a sign to the rest of the conference that Luther is a force with which to be reckoned.
Although they experienced a sluggish start after a four hour bus ride and an eary departure for Pella , Iowa, Luther was bailed out 25 minutes in by an errant pass from a Central defender which Michael Kustra intercepted. His deft touch put Jimmy Laroque in behind their defenders with only the keeper to beat. Only a foul would stop him from scoring after he was in the box, and that was the choice the Central defender made. Michael Olson stepped up and gave Luther what proved to be the game winner when he burried the penalty kick top corner. Against the run of play as it was, Luther needed to pick up their effort and concentration if they wanted to win this game.
Luther began to wake up as the game proceeded and came out in the second half much more focused. Central was still very much in the game and behaved as if it were so as they kept Luther under the gun for several minutes. But after some stout defending and a great effort in midfield from Jimmy Laroque, Luther was able to begin to counter Central's fervor and create chances of their own. Both Kustra and Pyzdrowski thought they had earned penalties as they beat players and were hacked down in the box, only to look up and see the referees melodramatic "play on" hand motions. Luckily for everyone involved, those missed calls did not decide the game and Luther ended up on top after astellar performance from Steve O'Meara and the back four. This puts Luther at 4-2 in conference play, already tallying more conference wins than last year with two important games yet to play. In addition, this win clinches Luther's place somewhere in the conference postseason tournament. If Luther wins out, they have the ability to finish as high as third and would host the first round of the IIAC tournament against the sixth place finisher. An impotant two weeks follow this big victory and Luther looks to continue their run of success.
After the heartbreak of the preceeding weekend, the Luther faithful surely wondered how this young team would respond for this tough road game. The Luther boys were once again asked to proudly lift their heads in the face of adversity and continue to battle, and they met the challenge with an away win against a team that went 7-1 in the conference last year. They fought hard, defended with urgency, created chances, and were able to pull out a huge victory and ensure a postseason life for their team.
Iowa dutch country has been good to the Norse after two trips in five days for its reserve and varisty teams. Two wins against Central on their home turf, as well as a near miss at a championship in the reserve tournament leave Luther looking fondly upon the Dutch windmills, beautiful foliage and near perfect pitch in Pella, Iowa. After a convincing 3-0 women's victory, and a lovely meal hosted by the most gracious Merrick family in Pella, Luther Soccer came home with high spirits, ready to take on whatever lies ahead. The boys travel to Wartburg for a rivalry match for what might prove to be the third place spot in the conference.