News - Sports - College

Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008

Winthrop men's soccer team ousted from NCAA tourney

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Winthrop's men's soccer team expected William and Mary to be big and physical.

They didn't anticipate falling behind with less than a minute gone by.

After that early score, the Tribe tacked on another goal in the 10th minute and went on to take a 3-1 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.

The Eagles (15-6-1) were coming off a storybook Big South championship. They beat Liberty on penalty kicks to advance to the finals, where they defeated Coastal Carolina 4-3. Winthrop's finish marked the third time the team has won 15 games in the school's Division I history.

Winthrop coach Rich Posipanko said early in the week it would be important to score first. The Eagles had failed to score in two previous trips to the NCAA tournament.

Instead, William and Mary got on the board quick. The Tribe's leading scorer, Andrew Hoxie, scored 34 seconds in to the match. Teammate Nathaniel Baako took a shot that caromed off Winthrop's Ben Kieffner. Hoxie collected the rebound and scored easily into the center of the goal.

Hoxie gave William and Mary a 2-0 lead with his 10th goal of the season at the 9:33 mark. He received a pass from the right of the box and went one-on-one with Winthrop goalkeeper Patrick Mitrovich, who came out to challenge. Hoxie fired a quick, low shot under Mitrovich.

Winthrop gave up a third goal in the first half off a free kick. Forward Alan Koger lofted the kick from about 35 yards straight away. Roger Bothe flicked the ball over a charging Mitrovich for a 3-0 lead in the 42nd minute.

The Eagles started the game without starting midfielder Stephen Nserko. His knee injury forced him to miss the final six games of the year.

The Eagles lost junior forward Matt Skonicki and senior defender Otto Loewy in the first half. Skonicki came into the game with a turned ankle and left in the 25th minute after aggravating the same ankle.

Loewy, the heart and soul of the team, bruised his right ankle on a 50/50 ball in the 26th minute.

Rafael Araujo scored for the Eagles in the 76th minute. The senior dribbled through the midfield and punched a shot into the right side.

Two minutes later the Eagles had another scoring opportunity when, Miquel Casajuana fired from close range and caught the left post. The ball bounced hard across the mouth of the goal and off the left post before Tribe goalkeeper Andrew McAdams took control.

Daniel Revivo, perhaps Winthrop's all-time best offensive player at the Division I level, was held in check by Tribe defenders Michael DiNuzzo and Nick Orozco. He wasn't able to get off a single shot.

The teams had 14 shots apiece. Hoxie had a match-high five.

Posipanko, now with 20 years in the books as Winthrop's head coach, complimented his seniors but was disappointed with the loss.

"This is maybe the best senior class since we've been Division I," he said. "Four guys (Revivo, Loewy, Mitrovich and Henry Kalungi) have been the backbone of this team for four years. I am disappointed. This was not a good representation of ourselves."