The Lobos traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to face the tournament host Old Dominion for quarterfinal action. The Lobos had defeated the Monarchs 4-0 earlier this season, and were looking for yet another victory against them.
But this time, the tables turned.
The Lobos took the lead in the 38th minute after forward Kevin Correa was taken down just outside the 18-yard box. Sophomore Chris Wehan drilled a free kick that hit the bottom of the crossbar and found the net for his 10th goal of the season.
With a 1-0 lead, the Lobos entered the second half confidently. But this half proved to be more favorable for the Monarchs.
The Lobos were able to hold on to their lead up until the last 15 minutes of the match. Their lead was gone when Monarch forward Sidney Rivera scored the equalizer in the 74th minute off a cross from teammate Jesse Miralrio.
Not too long after that, Rivera went on to beat freshman goalie Jason Beaulieu to score the game winner with 5:49 remaining.
Rivera’s brace gave Old Dominion (10-6-1) a spot in Friday’s Conference USA semifinals. It also gave the Lobos (11-6-1) a plane ride back home.
“It was a really disappointing loss,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said in a release. “We were up in the game, and I thought we were pretty comfortable, but they started putting a lot of pressure on us. I don’t know if we had enough fight in us.”
The Lobos had a 10-2 edge in corner kicks, but the rest of the match was statistically even with both teams recording 13 shots each.
As if the pressure of a quarterfinal match wasn’t enough, the Lobos were forced to play without two of their most vital players.
Midfielder Ben McKendry was injured and did not travel with the team. Defender and captain Mathew Gibbons got sick while traveling and was a last minute-scratch.
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“They’re two of our more physical, mature players. Missing them made it even more difficult,” Fishbein said.
Winning the conference tournament would have given the Lobos an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. But now they find themselves at the mercy of the selection committee.
The 48 teams that will play in the tournament will be announced during the selection show scheduled for Monday morning. It will be streamed at NCAA.com.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
