UK ties Bowling Green, finishes third in MAC

By Jill Erwin
Staff Writer

In a game filled with rough play and fouls, the UK men's soccer team finished its regular season yesterday with a scoreless tie against 18th-ranked Bowling Green at Cage Field. The game had important implications.

The two teams came into the match tied for second in the Mid-American Conference but the tie gave Bowling Green (13-2-1, 3-1-1 in the MAC) the second seed in this weekend's MAC Tournament, and a first-round bye.

Bowling Green was granted the second spot because the Falcons had a better goal differential in conference play. UK had 10 goals for and five goals against for a differential of five while Bowling Green's total was six.

As the third seed, UK (15-4-1, 3-1-1) will play Eastern Michigan on Friday at 5 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Cats defeated the Eagles, who haven't won a conference game this season, on the road last weekend.

The winner of the first-round game will meet Bowling Green on Saturday.

Bowling Green's freshman goalkeeper, Scott Vallow, is ranked No. 1 in the country in goals against average, and he lived up to that billing against UK. The 6-foot-2 Vallow saved three shots and deflected numerous others.

Bowling Green's starting lineup boasted eight players at least six feet tall, while UK had only three.

"I've coached soccer, Division I, for 10 years, and that's the biggest team I've ever seen," UK coach Ian Collins said.

While the game was evenly played in the first half, the second half started with some immediate sparks.

At the 45:36 mark, UK's Pat Gerak was given a red card, meaning automatic ejection from the game and a one-game suspension.

Gerak and Bowling Green's Jason Follebout were battling for possession in the far corner. Gerak fell to the ground, but after getting up he grabbed the Bowling Green player by the leg.

The game was exceptionally physical,with 39 fouls, four yellow cards and two red cards.

"It's a shame that it got out of hand, because there was some great soccer being played out there," Falcon head coach Mel Mahler said. "I think when there's a game with this much on the line É this type of game needs to be called very, very tightly."

After Gerak's red card, the Cats' played the rest of regulation and the overtime period with only 10 players. But things evened up a bit when Bowling Green's Darren Niles drew a red card of his own at the 72:54 mark.

The game was also the last soccer game ever at Cage Field.

UK is building a new soccer stadium east of Commonwealth Stadium on Alumni Drive.

"It's been great to be a part of a program that's building," senior Brian Dausman said. "If we play well, we should make the tournament, and that will just top it all off."

One of the seniors playing his final home game for UK was sweeper Kirk Vidra. Vidra played all 120 minutes of the game, and afterwards seemed ready for the challenge of the tournament.

"It's going to be snowy, cold," Vidra said. "It's gonna be a tough game."