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ILLINOIS WATER POLO |
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Wednesday - March 17, 2004 GAME RECAPS
Loyola 7 Palatine 6 By Aaron Brown
Palatine, IL -- Loyola used a little bit of luck and a controversial play to escape from Palatine with a 7-6 victory on Wednesday night. The #4 Ramblers scored with 0:46 remaining to break a tie when a shot with what appeared to be two hands was allowed to count from inside of two meters. After the game, video replay showed that Kevin Riordan, who scored the goal, quickly shifted the ball from his left to his right hand before scoring, and the officials call was correct. Even though Palatine had a chance to tie the game on a powerplay in the closing seconds, their last shot skipped wide of the net and Loyola ran out the clock for the victory.
Palatine led this game for most of the first two quarters, but Loyola took a 6-5 lead late in the third quarter. The Pirates tied it at 6-6 late in the third, and the teams traded turnovers and missed shots until the final minute, when Loyola was able to get the game winner.
Loyola started the scoring just fifteen seconds into the game, as Kevin Riordan came up with a steal and assisted Sean McLaughlin on a breakaway goal for a 1-0 lead. The Pirates responded as hole set Jon Haga scored from two meters out to tie the game at 1-1. The teams traded goals in the next two minutes, and Palatine took a 3-2 lead when Haga was left wide open in the middle of the pool on a breakaway for his second goal. Kyle Sorenson added a powerplay goal from the left corner with 0:38 left in the quarter to give Palatine a 4-2 lead.
Loyola had a chance to cut into the lead early in the second quarter, but Riordan was denied on a wide-open breakaway chance. As he turned around to shoot, Palatine's goalie Kyle Finnegan cut off his angle and made a string chest save. The Ramblers finally made it 4-3 with 2:30 left in the half when Tommy O'Bryan assisted McLaughlin on a goal. Palatine bounced back as Haga scored on a rebound shot after Louis Aguilar hit the crossbar. Haga recovered the ball inside of two meters and had an easy goal to make it 5-3. Loyola failed on a powerplay opportunity when Haga was called for an ejection, but they did score on a penalty shot from Riordan after Haga fouled him from behind on a breakaway. The score made it 5-4 as the teams reached halftime with Palatine in the lead, but Haga had earned two ejections already.
Loyola never capitalized on Haga's foul trouble, but Riordan took matters into his own hands with a lob shot over Finnegan from two meters to even the score at 5-5 just twenty seconds into the half. Loyola then took the lead on McLaughlin's second breakaway goal to make it 6-5 at the 5:37 mark of the third quarter.
Palatine tied the score at 6-6 on a penalty shot from Haga with 2:14 left in the third. After Palatine missed a powerplay shot, Loyola's ejected player inadvertently touched the ball on his way to the ejection area, which led to the free shot. Both Riordan and Haga had shots saved late in the quarter and the teams moved to the fourth quarter tied at 6-6.
In the fourth, Haga had his first attempt from two meters saved, and Loyola missed an opportunity to take the lead when Tom Schewchuck's shot hit the post and died on the goalline. Haga's next shot was a backhand that was denied, and Palatine's powerplay on their next possession ended with Sorenson hitting the left post.
Sorenson had a backhand shot hit the left post with 1:01 remaining, and Loyola's goalie Matt Leck started a breakaway with a fullcourt pass. Riordan, who was left open on the left side, caught the pass in his left hand and quickly switched to his right hand before putting the ball in the net. The Palatine bench argued that he used two hands, but the referee allowed the goal with 0:46 left and Loyola led 7-6.
Palatine tried to work the ball in to Haga for the equalizer, but Loyola kept fouling quickly to disallow a shot. Palatine drew an ejection with under thirty seconds left and called a timeout to set up a play with 0:14 on the clock. The Pirates could not get the ball to Haga on the post and Sorenson's skip shot from the point bounced to the right of the goal to end the game.
After the game, a video replay showed that Riordan never had two hands on the ball and confirmed the referee's decision. Riordan and McLaughlin led Loyola with three goals apiece, while Haga was the leading scorer for the Pirates with four goals.
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AIM illpoloballer |
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Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved |