The St. Thomas men’s soccer team defeated Pacific Lutheran 1-0 Saturday at South Field in the first round of Division III NCAA playoff.
The temperature was a frigid 20 degrees, making conditions tough for both teams, but the Tommies (15-3-2) were resilient and meshed together to secure a win over the Lutes (13-6-2) .
“I told the guys before the game, ‘Two months ago this isn’t possible. Six weeks ago it’s probably not possible, but now it is,’” coach Jon Lowery said. “We trust each other, have grown and we are set in the way we play.”
With five seconds remaining in the first half, defender Halvor Houg converted a corner kick from midfielder George Marty into a goal. Houg flicked the ball up to himself and kicked it in backward for a goal. Although he didn’t see his goal go in, Houg heard his teammates react.
“It was a great feeling,” Houg said.
Five of the Lutes’ nine attempted shots were on net. Senior goalkeeper Aidan Hogan saved all five shots, maintaining a shutout and adding another stand-out game to his career.
“I think Aidan is one of the best in the country,” Lowery said. “Aidan was special today.”
With a lot of action in the box coming from corner kicks and shots on goal, Hogan knew his senior leadership and experience would be an important factor in this game.
“Our team is a young team, and I’ve been here four years,” Hogan said. “I know how Lowery likes to play and how we can play to win games.”
The Tommies will do what it takes to continue to the tournament.
“If you take a step back and look at how cool the competition is this weekend and the guys putting themselves in this environment to compete,” Lowery said. “I just think it’s a good testament to student athletes and college sports.”
The Tommies will host Wisconsin Superior Sunday afternoon on South Field in round two of NCAA playoff action.
The winner of Sunday’s game will advance to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen.
“We aren’t done on this chase,” he said. “We have a quick turnaround, but we are fortunate to be surviving and advancing.”
Carly Noble can be reached at nobl1781@stthomas.edu.