The Observer, December 1, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 12
Spartans lose defensive thriller, end season on penalty kicks
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As the Ohio Wesleyan goalie parried away the final penalty kick, the Case crowd went silent. The save brought the end to a historic Case season. After a scoreless regulation and two scoreless periods of overtime, the Spartans finally fell to the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, 4-3, on penalty kicks.
As the Spartans jogged across the field for their final encore this season, the Case crowd roared in celebration for not only the first Case team to make the NCAA tournament, but also the first Case men's soccer team to win a conference championship.
The final game met its billing as the stingy defense of Case faced off against the undefeated Ohio Wesleyan squad.
"We should have won the game," sophomore goalkeeper Konrad Karasek said. "In the first half, we outplayed them, including Justin [Steggerda] hitting the cross bar with a left footed shot. We kept testing them, but their defense contained us and their goalie played great. We had our chances but we just couldn't finish."
Karasek said the team still liked its chances when the penalty kicks started after the second scoreless overtime.
"Once we got to penalty kicks, we were two away from moving on," he said. "Being up 3-2, we felt on top of the world, and then two kicks and we lose 4-3. It's depressing."
The defeat does not diminish how well Case played during the game.
"We played very well and our defense was amazing," Karasek said. "They were one of the top two teams we played all year. We also played New York University earlier and they made it to the Final Four, so I would say they were our number one competitor, but OWU was a close second."
The loss ended the careers of four Case seniors, including co-captains Greg Gasbarro and Noah Marciniak.
"It didn't hit me right away," Gasbarro said. "It stung next day having the match on our field and not playing in it. Also, to see that they made the Final Four with a 2-0 win, I knew if we had won we would have been in the Final Four."
Gasbarro has no regrets about the game or season, however.
"To be honest I wouldn't end my career here any other way, except with a national championship, of course," he said.
Gasbarro should be proud of the team's accomplishments this year. Record-breaking and historic are the two best words to describe the Spartans' season.
"We pretty much broke every record in the book for soccer," Karasek said. "We are the first team to go to the tournament, but we also finished 12th in the national rankings. This season brought back memories of high school when I was part of a record-breaking season there, and I think this is a stepping stone for Case to become a stronger program overall. It was great being part of something special."
The Spartans started the season better than anyone expected, but according to Gasbarro, the turning point came after their second loss.
"After our loss to Washington University, we decided to hold a captains' meeting," Gasbarro said, "which is just with the players. And in the meeting we talked about the team, what type of team we are, what we were doing and how we want the rest of the season to go. From there on out, we didn't lose a single game until obviously our last one, so I think that was our turning point."
Though the final defeat is tough to deal with and hard to get over, the men's soccer program has a bright future ahead.
"I'm not going to lie. We are going to be dangerous next year," sophomore defender Zeyad Schwen said. "I'm really excited. The only question mark is our back line because we are losing three of our four starters, but I hope next year I can be a leader in the back and work with the recruits to fill the holes. But we are going to be an offensive power house."
