Mount Saint Joseph 0 Earlham 1

Did I mention possibilities in the last post ? Well, they are certainly present and include finishing 5th and out of the conference tournament if we lose and winning the HCAC regular season championship if we win--but that would take an unlikely turn of events elsewhere. Mount plays a compact, high pressure game which is very well suited to the size (small with a pronounced crown) and surface (turf) of their field. They have beaten first place Hanover on this field and played a tight, tense game here two years ago when we won 1-0 to get into the HCAC tournament on the last day of the season. Last year they beat us at EC 2-1.

We come out well with the lineup as it has been in recent games with the exception of Felicien Muyumba. Tamru Taye and Ameer Yusuf are up front, Jacob Ebbs, Mussa Ibrahim, Corey Campbell and David Jones in midfield and Frank Mbaya, Mike Nsoesie, Arsene Kabeya and Alex Ferreira in the back, Sam Embry in goal. A large number of Earlham people, mostly students, have made the trip down to Cincinnati to watch the match and their support is much appreciated We keep the ball well and limit their chances in attack but no great chances to score happen for either side in the first half.

We begin to create a bit more against the high defensive line MSJ uses and in the 58th minute Ameer gets through into the area and is taken down by the keeper: PK to Earlham but no card for the keeper (?). Jacob Ebbs nails the PK into the corner and we lead with a half hour to go.

Shortly thereafter, our season gets put on the line when Mount gets a PK in the 72nd. The PK is hit  high to Sam Embry's left and Sam gets a hand to it to save the shot, game and season. After we see out the inevitable barrage of air balls into our box and Sam makes another timely intervention in the last minute of play, coming out to the feet on a Mount player to save again, we go to the locker room assured of a place (maybe second) in the HCAC tournament. For the game, we have the better in shots (13-10) and decidedly in shots on goal (8-2). Justly, this time, Sam Embry is carried off the field by his team mates for the second consecutive season--- albeit this time in dramatically different circumstances.

In the modern era of devices like iphones you can track events elsewhere and updates have been flowing, mostly from Shane Meridith to Sam Byrd, that Defiance and Hanover are tied 0-0 late in the game. If Hanover fail to win then we are champions ! I play "gloomy Gus" the entire time as we go to dress in the stadium and the Defiance/Hanover game goes to OT. How can Defiance, who have little to play for except pride, prevail playing away from home against a team who need to win to claim the title ? What I don't know but learn later is that Defiance have had a man sent off in the 20th minute (#15, their best player) and have played with ten men almost the entire game. Pelle Tracey (or his iphone) wins the prize as he shrieks "Defiance has scored !" Partial pandemonium breaks out until everyone realizes that it is a "golden goal"---game over ! We are now champions and the clamor reaches full roaring unanimity. I find I have to step outside the locker room to collect myself until I realize that our crew might tear the place apart in celebration. Back in I go but no need, we are at least partially in control.

We are a team that won 1 conference game a year ago and were picked 6th in the conference preseason poll and we have gone almost worst to first. Analysis later, we enjoy a lovely bus ride home. Tales I hear of the team's reception on campus that night are epic. Crowds chanting players' names in the dorms, parties....best of all, I wake up on Sunday with no voicemails or texts from Campus Security or the RPD: a sweet victory.