Men’s soccer ties Loras College in 2010 playoffs rematch

The No. 8 Washington University men’s soccer team fought seventh-ranked Loras College to a scoreless draw in Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday.

Senior forward Pat McLean missed a penalty kick in the 86th minute, but sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson saved eight Loras shots on goal to preserve the shutout, his third in a row and eighth of the season, through two overtime periods.

“The tie was disappointing because we felt we had the better of the chances,” senior midfielder and co-captain Michael Chamberlin said. “Our forwards played great today and helped us take a step forward towards how we want to be playing at the end of the season.”

The game was a matchup of two teams ranked No. 1 in their respective regions, as well as a rematch of last year’s second-round NCAA tournament game. Loras ousted Wash. U. in penalty kicks after the game ended in a 1-1 draw in regulation.

The Bears (13-1-1) outshot Loras 17-15 in the game but managed only three shots through the two overtime periods. Jebson made one save in each of the overtime periods while Wash. U. did not muster a shot on goal.

“Jono [Jebson] is at the top of his game right now. He has been instilling a lot of confidence in our back line with his dominant play,” senior midfielder and co-captain Cody Costakis said. “The string of shutouts we have had is only proof of it.”

In the 85th minute, the Red and Green caught a break when sophomore forward Jeremy Kirkwood was taken down in the box. McLean stepped up, but his shot was saved cleanly by Loras goalkeeper Nate DuBois.

Neither team held possession well in overtime, as both teams used the counter attack and moved quickly up and down the field.

On Wednesday night, Oct. 19, the Bears defeated Illinois Wesleyan University 3-0 at Francis Field. Senior Peter Jebson got the scoring started early, and junior Zach Query added two more goals to seal the win.

“Our forwards finish their chances very well. When we have a lot of the ball like we did against IWU, they can put games away,” Chamberlain said.

Jebson took a cross from McLean in the ninth minute and fired his shot off the post, but Jebson collected the rebound from five yards out and scored the first goal of his career.

Query scored on a header from a cross by senior Dylan Roman in the 41st minute and added the final goal in the 70th minute with a long shot past a diving goalkeeper off a pass from Costakis.

“I think we were subpar against IWU, but they did not make us pay on some of our positioning,” Costakis said. “Our forwards just continue to score and lead the team.”

Wash. U. hosts two University Athletic Association foes next weekend: University of Rochester on Oct. 28 and Case Western Reserve University on Oct. 30.

“We played a top-notch game [Sunday] and we have to be proud with the work we’ve done to get us to this level,” Costakis said. “We could have had a better result today, but we have already started looking forward to this next weekend.”