Photo by Jerry Montano
McPherson, Kan. – The Central Christian College men's soccer team fell in the finals of the NCCAA Central Region Tournament to the Wayland Baptist University Pioneers on Wednesday afternoon. The game officially ended in a 0-0 tie, but the Pioneers advanced on penalty kicks.

It was one of those games where the Tigers dominated possession of the ball, but were just unable to find a way into the scoring column. At the end of 110 minutes of play, both teams combined for just three total shots on goal. The best chance for the Tigers came in the first half on a corner kick. Johnny Rodriguez (Jr. Anaheim, Calif.) put a header on goal, but the Pioneer goalkeeper made a fantastic play to push the ball over the crossbar and out of danger.

In the shootout, the Tigers missed or were stopped on three of their five attempts. Rodolfo Ramirez (Jr. Mission Viejo, Calif.), was inserted into the line-up, in goal, for the shootout. He saved one of the four attempts he faced.

Coach Hoxie summed up the game saying, "Bad way to lose today. In control from the beginning, all of the things falling our way, yet couldn't do anything about it. Feel bad for the guys. They've done enough but that's life. Find a way to move on and get better. This was my fault today. I didn't do enough preparation and made too many changes. This is on me."

The Tigers will now have to wait to see if they get an invite to the NCCAA's big dance down in Kissimmee, Florida, via an at-large bid. If not, they will have ended their season yesterday with an 11-4-4 record.