MVC soccer: Lindenwood wins shoot-out to end Vikings' NAIA playoff bid

The anguish was apparent for senior goalkeeper Igor Lima after Lindenwood beat his Vikings for the HAAC Tournament championship.
(Chris Allen/Democrat-News)

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Two days after being lifted on the shoulders of teammates and fans in celebration, Missouri Valley College senior goalkeeper Igor Lima was sprawled out on the turf in private despair Friday.

Igor had just been beaten on a shot by his fellow netminder, freshman Victor Francoz, which broke a 2-2 tie on penalty kicks to give Lindenwood a victory in the Heart of America Conference Men's Soccer Tournament championship match.

It means the Lions will play in the NAIA Championship Series for the sixth time since 2000, while Valley -- which had not even reached the post-season since 1989 -- was denied its first appearance.

"Unlucky" is how distraught MVC head coach Vladimir Simic described the loss, without any attempt at irony on this Friday the 13th.

"We had luck on Wednesday," beating Graceland on a shoot-out after playing to a 1-1 tie through 110 minutes, Simic said. "Today wasn't our day. Nothing you can do about it."

The Vikings had opportunities early in the match, unleashing 14 first-half shots -- six on goal. It wasn't until the 43rd minute that they could break through, though, as a free kick by senior Miroslav Petrovic was headed into the net by senior Carlos Arriba.

"We just couldn't capitalize on a couple of chances," Simic said.

Valley was hurt by injuries, too, including one which sent junior forward Ryan Pow --the reigning HAAC "player of the week"-- to the sideline for the remainder of the contest early in the second half.

Pow had set the match's tempo throughout the first half 50 minutes and Lindenwood exploited his absence for two quick back-to-back goals shortly after he left the pitch.

A 30-yard free kick by junior Victor Alvardo bounced through the box, taking an unexpected hop along the way, and past Lima into the far side of the twine. In was only 38 seconds later that freshman Robin Rundstorm let sail a high kick from the top of the box which Lima could not reach over his head.

"We kind of lost composure, but we still played all right," Simic said.

The Vikings regrouped and allowed only one shot on goal for the rest of the period, but couldn't crack through Francoz again until a corner kick by Petrovic got loose in the crease -- kept alive by sophomore Pedro Franco's header -- and was stuck inside the left goalpost by Arribas with 13:38 remaining in regulation.

Valley had two chances to win in overtime, especially with the Lions one man short after sophomore Igor Inic received his second yellow card.

With a minute and a half left in the first OT, freshman Lewis Walker got tangled up with Francoz on a 50-50 ball in the air. Francoz came down with it behind the goal line in the net, but officials ruled interference and didn't register the apparent "golden goal."

With 1:45 to go in the second extra frame, sophomore Roderick Owuso fired a shot at Francoz from close range. The rebound came out to freshman Juan Carlos Barrioz, but his 10-yard blast went outside the left post.

Both teams made their first two attempts during the shoot-out, but the Vikings were stopped first when Francoz dove to his left to block sophomore David Flores' offering. Valley then fell behind 3-2 when Franco booted one straight at the goalie.

It could have ended on the Lions' next try, but Alvardo missed wide to the right and Barrios kept Valley alive by making his shot. That brought up Francoz, who ended the match with a drive into the lower left corner.

The win sends Lindenwood (10-9-2) into the NAIA playoffs for the first time since 2005, with a first-round match Saturday at third-ranked Rio Grande (Ohio).

While the finale was disappointing for the Vikings (11-5-3), it capped off a campaign in which -- according to Simic -- they "accomplished a lot of things." Finishing second in the league, coming off a 6-11-1 campaign, is encouraging for a program with only two seniors starters.

"That was a huge step in our development," Simic remarked. "Now we have experience, which is key."