The Inability to Finish

The 2010 season has gotten off to a less-than desirable start for the Norse. It hasn't been for a lack of fervor and effort, but Luther has found a way to give away results in their first two games, falling 1-o to Augsburg and 2-1 to the University of St. Thomas.
It was a beautiful night in Minneapolis for the 2010 opener against Augsburg, who was an NCAA tournament sweet 16 two years ago. A strong Luther following came our to support their alma mater and were making themselves heard in the Auggies' stands. On an undersized pitch with a ball that bounced and sped across Augsburg synthetic grass, there was not much in the way of controlled soccer happening through the midfield for either team that night. When a long ball from Luther was dealt with poorly by the Augsburg central defender, freshman attacker Brock Arend found himself in a 1v1 challenge with the keeper. He beat the keeper to the ball with his head and it looked to be an early lead for the Norse when it bounced just wide. The chance would prove to be the best of the night for Luther, but they continued to fight hard throughout. With stellar performaces from junior goalkeeper Steve O'Meara, junior defenders Mike Olson and Adam Dance, Luther was still in the game and looked to get home with a point.
With a little over 2 minutes until regulation, a missed clearance found its way to an Auggie midfielder where it was played high and bouncing into the Luther box. The Auggie attacker was first to the ball and tucked it away in the lower corner to earn victory in disappointing fashion. A heartbroken Luther team left the field knowing they put in a good effort against a talented team. The boys worked hard for each other but were not able to finish on this night.
Two days later, Luther opened at home with a Friday night match against St. Thomas, who is picked to finish second in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this year. A slow start left a little to be desired from both teams. Luther did not have much to cheer about until a quick restart after a foul allowed first-year midfielder James Garcia-Prats to find his first year midfield partner Matt Hoffman who settled the ball and took aim from about 25 yaards out. It was a dream come true as the ball sailed into the upper corner past the outstretched arms of the St. Thomas goalkeeper.
The goal energized Luther and they opened the second half with some of the best soccer they have played all year. They connected passes and maintained possession despite a strong wind in their face. Sophomeore forward Mark Fernandes had a couple chances in the box but was denied by the goalkeeper to keep the lead at one. As the half dragged on, the speed of St. Thomas' attack began to take its toll as the Tommies were able to create some chances. When a Tommies midfielder found a crease of space as he turned, he hit the shot of his life into the far upper corner to knot the game at one in the 80th minute. Not three minutes later a speedy St. Thomas forward was able to run through two defenders before finding his strike partner open inside the six-yard box, who finished well and put the Tommies up 2-1.
The late season collapses are a troubling sign for a Luther team that looked strong coming out of pre-season. There were several positives. The effort put forth throughout both games was stellar, even if the decision-making left a little to be desired. First-years have performed well and look to continue to add to the depth of this Luther squad. The key now is to finish chances and finish games strong. The Norse will hope to rebound when they host rivals St. Olaf on Wednesday.