Late PK ousts TAMIU, halts upset bid at No. 3 MSU

Rodrigo Zuniga scored the lone goal of the game for TAMIU as the Dustdevils were eliminated 2-1 at No. 3 Midwestern State on Friday night in the Heartland Conference Semifinals.

Rodrigo Zuniga scored the lone goal of the game for TAMIU as the Dustdevils were eliminated 2-1 at No. 3 Midwestern State on Friday night in the Heartland Conference Semifinals.

Photo: Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times File

Late PK ousts TAMIU, halts upset bid at No. 3 MSU

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By the end of the 2017 campaign, the Dustdevils soccer team was as good as any other team in the Heartland Conference. But with time winding down Friday night, the group made a fatal mistake — or at least the most important person on the field felt they did.

TAMIU gave up a penalty kick goal with just over eight minutes left in regulation and lost 2-1 at No. 3 Midwestern State on Friday night. The Mustangs advance to Sunday’s Heartland Conference Championship to host No. 14 St. Edward’s, which dispatched of sixth-seeded St. Mary’s 6-1 in the other semifinal match.

After the contest, however, TAMIU head coach Claudio Arias wasn’t thrilled with the call that ended his team’s season. The same official also pulled a red card less than two minutes earlier ejecting Aaron Zuniga and forcing the Dustdevils to play a man down the rest of the way.

“We were the better team,” TAMIU head coach Claudio Arias said. “There was a not well-coordinated play from us on a corner kick that cost us the first goal. We equalized but unfortunately the game was decided by an non-existent PK. Unfortunately, it’s uncomfortable to see your players crying and upset due to something that didn’t exist. The referees are judges and maybe he saw something that no one else saw. They still won it, but I don’t think they should have won it the way they did.”

The play in question occurred with 8:38 remaining. With the ball at the top of the box, MSU’s Scott Doney sent a pass over his head to the trailing Saad Acheampong. Both Acheampong and TAMIU freshman defender Keanu Born went for the ball simultaneously, and the official ruled Born made contact with him instead of the ball. That gave MSU the game-winning PK, a situation Arias didn’t agree should have happened at all and especially in such a significant moment.

“Bourn gets to it and clears it,” Arias said. “When he clears it, the ball goes out to the middle of the field. (Acheampong) comes in late and kicks the sole of Keanu’s foot. He makes a sound and the referee heard the sound. It looked like Keanu kicked him but he kicked the ball and sent it away. He actually came in late and kicked Keanu.

“The referee saw it as a PK. In my opinion, from the angle we had, it was not. It just creates frustration. In a conference game to win a game like that, I just don’t think it’s the best way. Unfortunately it hurt us.”

The loss ends a promising campaign for TAMIU, which finishes 10-5-3 with a 9-4-1 record in Heartland Conference play. The double-digit win total is its third best since moving to Division II in 2006.

The Dustdevils were riding a five-game winning streak entering play and had won eight of their last 11. They were looking to avenge all three of those recent losses in consecutive games after beating St. Mary’s 2-0 in the season finale last week and Texas of the Permian Basin in a 5-4 penalty kick shootout after a scoreless draw through two overtimes in the quarterfinal round Tuesday.

But once again, Midwestern State prevailed this season thanks to a penalty kick. In their Sept. 28 meeting, the Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game to knock off TAMIU 2-1. The biggest play of the match came only 94 seconds in as MSU converted a penalty kick for the early goal.

Friday’s match was a battle between two of the most talented defensive units in the country. Midwestern State came into the night third in the nation allowing eight goals in 2017 and fourth with a .431 goals against average, while the Dustdevils were 13th in goals against average (.673) and 15th in goals allowed (12).

Both were at it again as shots were hard to come by. The Mustangs finished with an 11-7 advantage in shots including 3-2 on goal. They also had a 6-3 edge in corners and 18-11 in fouls.

Laredo junior forward Rodrigo Zuniga stepped up Friday with a game-high three shots including two on target. He scored the lone goal of the game in the 68th minute off a pass from senior Michael Iskander, who had two shots. Rafael Montabes and Luis Diaz each had one.

TAMIU junior goalkeeper Carlos Herrera stopped two saves in net. He was named first-team All-Heartland Conference Thursday, one of four players on the team. Senior midfielder Alan Rivera received second-team honors while Diaz and Montabes were on the third team.

“I thought we were very well,” Arias said. “To play the No. 3 team in the country on their home field — they were just trying to get rid of the ball because they couldn’t handle our attack and our pressure. That speaks well of the cohesiveness of our team.

“We have a lot of them coming back. We will miss some of them, of course, but I’m proud of this group. The way they played — they showed courage and determination. Even with 10 men, we were after them trying to equalize the game. I’m very proud and they deserve all the kudos they could get.”

The Dustdevils’ loss couldn’t give the team its first victory over MSU in program history as the school is still searching, owning a 0-15-2 record all-time. Of the 67 schools TAMIU has played in its 16 years on the field, the Mustangs are the only one that they have not beaten in at least four tries.

Friday’s game becomes the final outing for eight different players in a Dustdevils uniform including midfielders Iskander, Rivera, Alejandro Doza, Kevin Hernandez and Aaron Zuniga, defenders Max Cruz and Yair Hernandez and goalkeeper Roberto Molina.

“It was great to coach them and have them around,” Arias said. “This is one of the groups I’ve enjoyed coaching the best because of their dedication, the way they listen, the way they pour themselves out for their teammates, the cohesiveness they’ve created and their leadership. To see them go is sad but it’s part of life. The guys that played the most tonight that were seniors in Aaron, Kevin, Alan and Mike, they definitely are leaving through the big door of this program. They played phenomenal tonight and all season. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They should be proud of their season.”

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