National News

 November 2, 2009

LORAIN, OH - The Ancilla College men's soccer team was eliminated from the postseason on Saturday, falling to NJCAA #13 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College by a score of 2-0.

Dylan Hoop scored twice for the OCCAC champion Surge (16-2-1), who advanced to play NJCAA #5 Schoolcraft College in the NJCAA Region 12 final on Sunday.

The Chargers (9-6-0) were making their first appearance in the Region 12 tournament in program history, and were winners of nine of their last 11 matches, with their only setbacks in that period both coming to Schoolcraft.

The match, originally scheduled to be played on grass fields at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, OH, was moved late in the week due to inclement weather to the artificial-surfaced Rival Sports Facility in Lorain, OH.

For the Surge, who played a majority of their home matches on artificial turf, it was likely a welcomed change. They wasted little time taking advantage of an Ancilla squad that hadn't played any matches on turf this year, pressuring the Chargers into a high number of turnovers early in the match.

In only the 3rd minute, Hoop collected a pass from Grant Kercher and released a quick shot from midfield. His effort skipped off an Ancilla defender, changing directions on Chargers keeper Adam Calhoun and rolling in for a 1-0 lead.

Cincinnati continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead in the 26th minute as Kercher once again found Hoop for his second goal of the match.

Ancilla managed to regroup at halftime and began to win the battles for possession and territory. Repeated efforts by Rudy Baldetti, Luis Delgado, Michael Lobbo, Andre Hilson, and Brooks McDonald were turned away by Surge keeper Austin Morgan, however, as Cincinnati held on for the victory.

"There was no shame in the way we played today," said Ancilla coach James Drzewiecki. "It was hard for the boys to adjust to the pitch right away, and I thought they adapted very well as the match wore on. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be on our side today. We got beat by an excellent team, and I think our guys respect the effort that Cincinnati put into this match. This isn't the end for us. I know this group of freshmen we have will get us back."