MINNEAPOLIS -- North Central University (NCU) welcomed the Cougars of the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) on Saturday afternoon as the Rams played host for the final time of the 2019 season. The two battled in a back and forth matchup in which both were deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the contest. After the Cougars used two second half goals, highlighted by a penalty kick for a score, to push their lead to 3-1 the Rams found themselves with their backs against the wall. In the 81st minute
Elliott Lebsack was able to fly past the Cougar defense thanks to a set up from teammate
Stanley Luckett to inch the Rams back into the contest. The goal proved to be just a little too late as the Ram's late game push fell just short in a gritty 3-2 loss to the Cougars.
Game Vitals
- Rams out shot Cougars 24:16
- The two teams combined for 7 yellow cards
- The cougars went up 3-1 off of a penalty kick in the 79th minute
- Lebsack lead the Rams with 2 goals
Full Game Recap
The Rams began the game at a deficit with the Cougars scoring a goal in the 4th minute. The Cougars grabbed onto the lead but not for long as the Rams found an answer in the 16th minute when freshman
Elliott Lebsack netted his first goal to put the score at 1-1. Through out the rest of the half, both the Cougars' goalie and the Rams own
Tian Elder made spectacular saves on the few shots that made it past either team's defense to keep the score tied up heading into the break. The second half of the game became much more physical, leading to 5 yellow cards for UMM and 2 yellow cards on the Rams. Similar to the ending of the first half, the majority of the second half was without scores for either team. The silence on the scoreboard was broken when the Cougars got one past the Rams to make the score 2-1 in the 76th minute. In the 79th minute, just three minutes following the Cougars second goal, UMM drew a foul resulting in a penalty kick and a score pushing the Cougar lead to 3-1. The rams did not go down without a fight and returned to score a goal of their own in the 81st minute for Lebsack's 2nd goal of the match to set the score at 3-2. With slightly less than 9 minutes remaining, the Rams could not find another goal to tie up the match, concluding their last game on Elliot Park Field in the 2019 season.
Ket Performers
Next Up
The Rams will have a few days off as they prep for their final match of the regular season. NCU will finish off the year on the road as they travel to Northland College to battle the Lumberjacks. Kickoff for that matchup is slated for 3:30 p.m.
Media: For further information, contact
Mike Knipe at 612-343-3541 or email mjknipe@northcentral.edu.
