Rams Halt Pilots Quest For a Regional Title

(MINNEAPOLIS) – With wounds still fresh from their gut-wrenching 1-0 loss to the Brandon Bobcats in the MCAC Men’s Soccer Championship final, Providence entered another conference championship tournament as the number-1 ranked team with dreams of winning a banner and with it a berth to a National Championship.

Those hopes were dashed on Tuesday afternoon at the NCCAA Division II Regionals in Minneapolis when the top-ranked Pilots bowed out to the fifth-ranked North Central Rams by a final score of 4-1.

Carrying with them all the energy of their home crowd and a level of confidence that came from Monday’s play-in upset of the fourth-ranked Oak Hills Wolfpack, the Rams placed their bets on beating the Pilots on the counterattack and executed to the tune of 4 goals; the most goals allowed by Providence since the team drew 5-5 with the Bobcats on September 17^th in Brandon.

The MCAC Regular Season champs opened the scoring in the second minute. Unmarked from the cornerkick, Arman Sidhu (Surrey, BC) banked his first of his Pilots’ career by one-timing a right-footed volleyball into the roof of the net, putting Providence up, 1-0.

A Rams cornerkick would provide an equalizer for the hosts in the 16^th minute. When the aerial challenge couldn’t be cleared, Santiago Grams pounced on the loose ball and tied the match, 1-1.

The Pilots had their share of chances to regain the lead through the final 30 minutes of the first half but on each occasion, failed to cash in.

The match was turned on it’s head in the final 2 minutes before half time. First, a Rams’ counterattack turned into a 2-on-2 break from the halfway line and an inch-perfect ball played in-stride with a charging Alex Chacich who side-footed the ball past Santiago Vasquez (Cochabumba, Bolivia).

Then, a minute into time-added-on, another perfectly played pass that knifed through the Pilots’ defenders, sent Alvin Wlejleh in on Vasquez and his left-footed finished slide under the Providence goalkeeper to put the Rams ahead by 2 goals before the referee’s halftime whistle.

Though more goal-scoring threats and plenty of Providence possession would best describe the second 45 minutes, the only goal would be a fourth from NCU. Committing more players forward, the Rams took advantage of an errant pass from a Pilots’ defender and Chacich scored his second of the match, beating a defender and Vasquez to put the game to bed.

The loss ends what has been a superb season for rookie head coach, Giovanni Benitez Friesen. On top of being selected the MCAC’s Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year, Benitez was recognized as the NCCAA North Region Coach of the Year prior to Tuesday’s regional semifinal kickoff. The first-year, former Pilot team captain, guided his team to a 10-win season and despite the obvious pride that can be taken from winning individual awards, will be disappointed with how his team’s season ended.

Garreth Rayner (Johannesburg, SA), Joel Umeh (Calgary, AB) and Sean Kirkpatrick (Swan River, MB) all earned selection to the NCCAA North’s All-Region Team on Tuesday, joining their head coach with individual awards to add to their trophy cases.