Sophomore Caleb Newcomer dribbles downfield against Korea A Tuesday on intramural field No. 2.
Fifth-seeded Korea A shut out 13th seeded Steak Sauce in the quarterfinal round of the intramural soccer tournament Tuesday night with a 5-0 victory.
Korea A came out of the gate confidently with an immediate shot on goal. It continued pressing, forcing Steak Sauce to play on its heels early on in the game. After a few Korea-dominated minutes, Steak Sauce gained its composure and began to even out the possession battle.
After a few unsuccessful counter attacks from Korea A, the team was finally able to put one in the net about halfway through the first half. Steak Sauce attempted to respond late in the half with a few shots on goal, but none found their intended destination. The half ended with a one goal advantage in favor of Korea A.
The second half started dramatically, as Steak Sauce had a breakaway opportunity but was unable to capitalize. Korea A responded immediately with a breakaway of its own, ending in a goal, pushing the lead out 2-0.
A few minutes later, Korea A capitalized on another counterattack that stretched the length of the field, increasing its lead to three.
About halfway through the second half, Steak Sauce had an opportunity to cut into the lead when sophomore Ray Hecht blasted a shot to the far post. The Korea A keeper made the save to keep the lead at three.
Korea A then continued to put on the pressure, tacking on one more goal to its score by sneaking the ball past the keeper. The final minutes ticked away as Korea A coasted to the 5-0 victory.
“This game was an instant classic,” said Steak Sauce senior John Kollenberg. “It was definitely one for the record books.”
Korea A moved on in the tournament. losing to top seeded SSOA Wednesday in the semifinals.
“The game against SSOA was very tough,” Korea A player Seunghoon Ahn said. “We’ve played them twice already this season and lost both times. We needed to work on our strategy.”
Story by Peter Northcutt, Staff writer