Peaks and Valleys

Well, it has been a whirlwind of the last three weeks for Luther Soccer. The frequency of these blog posts is reflective of how busy things have been for us, and unfortunately posting has been the least of our worries.
Following the Wartburg game Luther had two more battles ahead against Central College and the University of Dubuque. After giving up two goals in 40 seconds against Central, Luther was unable to battle back and ended up losing 2-1 despite a great goal from Jackson Stalberger set up from goalkeeper Steve O'Meara, notching their first goal and assist of the year respectively.
Luther's travels to Dubuque have not been kind to them this year, and their game against the University that bears the same name was no different. Giving up goals in the last two minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the second half, Luther put themselves out of the game. Although they fought hard and had several great chances, Luther ended up going down 2-0.
The Dubuque game was Luther's 5th straight loss, and things were looking bleak for the Norse. But the team's resilience and ability to stick together through the toughest of times began to pay dividends as Luther was able to real off 5 straight victories against Buena Vista University, Simpson College, Coe College, Cornell College and St. John's University. With game winning goals from Gui Castro, Mark Fernandes, Matt Hoffman, Mark Fernandes (again) and Saul Rosales respectively, the Norse turned their season around and put their record at 4-4 in conference and 8-7-1 overall. A winning record with one of the toughest schedules in the region is something to be proud of, and Coach Garcia-Prats should be applauded for his ability to a build a team that can pull itself off the ground time and time again to achieve great things. After 5 straight losses where the Norse often outplayed their opponent, these last 5 wins have been a long time coming for Luther Blue.
This weekend was Luther Soccer Family Weekend, celebrated with 5-0 and 3-0 wins for the Norse. There were many families in town to celebrate this team and it's five seniors, Jason Lentz, Gui Castro, Mike Olson, AndyEisenberg, and Alex Case. With two great wins and Jason Lentz and Andy Eisenberg scoring goals today against St. Johns, it was a perfect ending to a great weekend.
They now look ahead to their final game of the season at UW-Platteville to seal the deal on the first winning season for Luther since 2004. It has been a wild ride this season, full of peaks and valleys, but what has not changed is this team's ability to stick together, enjoy themselves, and be a true team. Hopefully their run is not yet over, as Luther is a team that no one wants to see again. They are on a 5-game win streak, and underperformed for most of the conference season. They will be a tough game for whoever they get in the IIAC Conference tournament, and they will look to make a deep run and extend these seniors' last year of collegiate soccer.