Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – A tie can often be a bittersweet result.
Based on the body language of both the MacEwan Griffins and Lethbridge Pronghorns following their 1-1 draw on Sunday, there was a lot more bitter in that equation.
The Griffins, in need of three points to keep pace in a tight Prairie Division playoff race, deserved a better fate after dominating the entire second half, so it's clear that the tie left them in a rather sullen mood.
"We just have to finish our chances," said Griffins head coach Adam Loga, whose squad outshot Lethbridge 21-11 (9-7 in shots on goal) but couldn't bury the winner. "I thought we deserved better today, but we just continue to beat ourselves a little bit."
Meanwhile, the Pronghorns were just a bounce away from capturing their first win of the Canada West men's soccer season, so colour them disappointed, too.
"I thought the first half we created a lot of great chances, really possessed the ball well," said head coach Randy Bardock. "Second half, into the wind, we were definitely not as confident on the ball and had a few moments that had me scratching my head. But points on the road are always a plus, so it's a great way to finish the weekend."
Everett Orgnero was all over the Lethbridge defence early in the game, chipping one wide in the fifth minute before finally finding pay dirt in the 17th. Darting up the left side, Malcolm Stafford sent the rookie striker in alone. Orgnero hit his initial offering off Lethbridge goalkeeper Nolan French before volleying home the rebound for his sixth goal of the season.
Lethbridge's Kyle Angerilli nearly equalized just 33 seconds later, but MacEwan keeper Marko Vranjkovic used every millimetre of his 6-foot-4 frame in stretching out to parry it wide.
Angerilli wouldn't be denied in the 28th minute, though, as David Velazquez carried it into the box and got off a point-blank shot that deflected right to the fourth-year midfielder's boot and he made no mistake.
The Pronghorns pressured the MacEwan D for the rest of the half with quick carries into the attacking third and were somewhat unlucky to not have the lead at half-time. Jaden Veluw headed a corner kick off the crossbar in the 40th minute before Stephen Primeau was robbed by Vranjkovic in the 41st.
"We're at our best when we attack as a group and our fullbacks are pushing up well," said Bardock. "We really had options all around the ball and that created a lot of the opportunities for us.
"We just kind of got away from that in the second half."
While the Pronghorns sagged, the Griffins came out with renewed vigour and carried the play for almost the entire final 45 minutes.
In the 63rd minute, Christian Hernandez sent in a cracker from 25 yards out that just skimmed over the crossbar. Then Kapri (Marcus) Simmons slipped a defender from the left side in the 75th and blasted a sharp angle shot that French got a piece of before needing a second touch to put it out of danger.
Stafford had another great chance for the Griffins in the 83rd minute when his low ripper sent French diving to the turf for the stop.
"We were really pushing forward, trying to press it as much as we could," said MacEwan senior Josh Samuel after his final regular season home game. "But that final ball into the final third we just couldn't find it and couldn't find the goal. Their goalie made a couple good saves, too. We were pressing hard, but it just didn't happen for us today."
With the result, Lethbridge is now 0-8-2 and the Griffins are now 3-6-2 as they head into the final three games of the regular season. They'll have to pass at least one of Calgary (4-5-1), Saskatchewan (3-6-1) or Mount Royal (3-6-1) to catch the first playoff berth in their short Canada West history.
"We just have to play 90 minutes," said Loga of lessons learned from Sunday. "We're a young group. A lot of us are new to the league. Every game, win, lose or tie is going to be a learning experience. So, we didn't play a full 90 today and it cost us."
Vranjkovic made six saves for the Griffins, while French stopped eight for the Pronghorns.
MacEwan next plays at Calgary on Oct. 13, while Lethbridge returns home to host Saskatchewan on the same day.
EXTRA POINTS … Sunday was MacEwan's final home regular season game, so seniors Josh Samuel and Brian Mayall were feted afterward … "It was different knowing this was going to be the last time I was going to play on the homefield in front of all of the fans," said Samuel. "It was different, but it was surreal and I had a good time."
