KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Covenant College men's soccer team traveled down south to the 2010 NCCAA National Tournament as the competition's number one seed this past Monday, and after a day of practicing and settling in, the Scots began their quest for the championship trophy on Wednesday evening against Hope International University. The Scots' Californian opposition entered the tournament as the number eight seed with a 10-8-1 record; a stark contrast to the more dominant 13-6-1 record and top-seed owned by Covenant. Yet even so, the Royals proved to be a more than capable side, as they took Covenant to the brink in a thrilling 3-2 match.
The match kicked off at 5:00pm to temperatures in the mid-sixties and clear skies that were highlighted by the bright Florida sun. Yet something on the evening proved to be brighter; the Scots start to the game. After a mere five minutes of play, Covenant kicked off the 2010 tournament much like it did in the opening game last year, by scoring an early goal to take a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Chris Pifer met a Julian Allgeier corner-kick to power the ball home with his head and give the Scots the early advantage. A few minutes later, and Allgeier turned from provider to scorer, as he put away a rebound from his own shot to double the lead at 2-0.
The Scots took their two goal lead over the Royals into the break, but Hope International came out in the second half playing inspired soccer. After surviving a quick flurry of Covenant chances in the opening minutes, the Royals countered and scored a goal on their first shot of the game. Suddenly, the momentum had shifted, and with twenty-five minutes remaining in the match, Hope International earned a penalty kick in the Covenant box that it put away with ease. With the score now leveled at 2-2, Covenant was on the verge of suffering its second straight defeat to a team it had dominated in both shots and run of play.
However, Pifer and Allgeier were not done teaming up, and with fifteen minutes remaining, the two combined for what proved to be Covenant's third and winning goal. The senior Allgeier whipped in a free-kick from the left side, and, once again, the awaiting Chris Pifer slammed a header into the net. It was the sophomore's seventh goal of the season – all of which have been from headers – and more importantly, it was good enough to send the Scots through to a semifinal clash against Cedarville University. The match will take place on Thursday at 7:30pm, and the winner will earn a place in the 2010 NCCAA National Final.
