MONROE - The Cheesemakers' boys soccer season came to a bitter, cold end Thursday. With the wind blowing and the rain falling hard, it took nearly 98 minutes of play for the decisive score.
Unfortunately for Monroe, it was scored by McFarland, a team the Cheese had beaten a week earlier, for a 3-2 Monroe loss in the first round of the WIAA regional.
"We're really disappointed," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "We were really looking forward to this game and concentrating on it - really taking it seriously."
Monroe scored the first goal of the game right away. Jon Elmer slipped the checkered ball past McFarland's goalkeeper in just the second minute of the game.
The two teams battled the rest of the half, but neither scored. Monroe had a chance to score on a spot kick with less than 20 seconds left to play, but a substitution was in order, delaying the Cheese nearly 15 seconds to kick the ball. Monroe couldn't get a rebound and the clock ran out.
To start the second half, McFarland came out swinging, scored its first goal just 30 seconds in.
"It was a bit of a shock. I didn't think they would come out like that," Stamm said.
Monroe answered right back, as junior forward Andrew Aurit sliced through the defense and put the Cheese back on top, 2-1.
"It was a great individual effort by Andrew," Stamm said. "Everyone was feeling good at that point."
Unfortunately for Monroe, the lead wouldn't last.
McFarland added a second score just a few minutes later to tie it up.
Wet and chilled, many Cheesemakers started slipping on the wet field, a few taking an extra long time to get up as cramping soon became an issue because of the weather - and length of the game.
In the first overtime, both teams had opportunities to score, but both goalkeepers came up big - Monroe keeper Dan Becker three times in that short period alone.
In the second overtime, one before a shootout, Monroe's best scoring opportunity passed just beyond the far post. McFarland's didn't. The Spartans got the ball into a cluttered group of white and red jersey's just in front of the goal. Somehow a Spartan got the leg on the ball that knocked it beyond Becker and into the net.
"It was pretty hard to see from where we were at. Even the scorer's table couldn't see it and we had to ask McFarland who scored," Stamm said. "We had hoped to get a clear-out, but that didn't happen."
Monroe's season is over, but with the success of the junior-varsity and a large group of returning varsity players, 2009 looks like it may yield better results.
Unfortunately for Monroe, it was scored by McFarland, a team the Cheese had beaten a week earlier, for a 3-2 Monroe loss in the first round of the WIAA regional.
"We're really disappointed," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "We were really looking forward to this game and concentrating on it - really taking it seriously."
Monroe scored the first goal of the game right away. Jon Elmer slipped the checkered ball past McFarland's goalkeeper in just the second minute of the game.
The two teams battled the rest of the half, but neither scored. Monroe had a chance to score on a spot kick with less than 20 seconds left to play, but a substitution was in order, delaying the Cheese nearly 15 seconds to kick the ball. Monroe couldn't get a rebound and the clock ran out.
To start the second half, McFarland came out swinging, scored its first goal just 30 seconds in.
"It was a bit of a shock. I didn't think they would come out like that," Stamm said.
Monroe answered right back, as junior forward Andrew Aurit sliced through the defense and put the Cheese back on top, 2-1.
"It was a great individual effort by Andrew," Stamm said. "Everyone was feeling good at that point."
Unfortunately for Monroe, the lead wouldn't last.
McFarland added a second score just a few minutes later to tie it up.
Wet and chilled, many Cheesemakers started slipping on the wet field, a few taking an extra long time to get up as cramping soon became an issue because of the weather - and length of the game.
In the first overtime, both teams had opportunities to score, but both goalkeepers came up big - Monroe keeper Dan Becker three times in that short period alone.
In the second overtime, one before a shootout, Monroe's best scoring opportunity passed just beyond the far post. McFarland's didn't. The Spartans got the ball into a cluttered group of white and red jersey's just in front of the goal. Somehow a Spartan got the leg on the ball that knocked it beyond Becker and into the net.
"It was pretty hard to see from where we were at. Even the scorer's table couldn't see it and we had to ask McFarland who scored," Stamm said. "We had hoped to get a clear-out, but that didn't happen."
Monroe's season is over, but with the success of the junior-varsity and a large group of returning varsity players, 2009 looks like it may yield better results.
