The No. 12 Raiders showed why they are a top tier Division II team on Saturday, as they battled Division 1 rival UC Davis until the final minute of the game just losing out 6-4.
Outnumbered almost two to one, the Raiders showed tremendous heart and skill as they pushed the Aggies to the brink, only to come up short on a questionable time out awarded to the Aggies that gave them final possession in the last minute, allowing them to run the clock out before adding an empty net goal as SOU tried desperately to cause a turnover.
Junior goalie Carter Boggess stood tall in net for SOU recording 19 saves in his first performance back after taking a year off.
The offense was paced by freshman Tom Halley, who had two goals in his first collegiate game, including a howitzer shot from up top for his second of the game.
The Aggies were the first to strike in the game, but their goal was quickly answered by Sophomore Patrick Verdun who took an inside dish from Junior Captain Lump McQuown to even the score at 1-1. Later in the quarter Halley was able to slip past his defender to make it 2-1.
The second quarter was a different story with the Aggies controlling the majority of possession, however the Raiders defense was up to the task only allowing two goals including a crucial stop in the last minute to keep it a one-goal game heading into the break.
Heading into the third quarter with the score 3-2 the tempo of the game was chaotic with plenty of exciting transition play. It took a Raider penalty for Davis to get another goal making it 4-2. Raider Coach Mark Brown then called a timeout to settle his players and draw up a play to try and bridge the gap heading into the fourth quarter.
Halley was able to capitalize with a tremendous shot from up top that made it a one-goal game and tipped the momentum towards the Raiders. The fourth quarter was dominated by SOU for the most part and after a couple long possessions, Senior Tyler Baumann was able to corral a rebound and sneak one past the Aggie defender to knot the scoreboard at four apiece with the clock under three minutes.
Davis called a timeout on their next possession and was able to get another goal to take the lead 5-4 with 1:23 left in the game. A few seconds later, with Davis in control of the ball, Senior Captain Joe Robert made an excellent defensive play that would have awarded the Raiders with another chance to tie the game, unfortunately Davis was awarded possession after the play and were able to score an empty net goal before running out the clock.
In a defensive struggle the Raiders were led by the superb play of junior Jack Pfeifer, sophomore Matt Kegel and Robert who were able to take the ball from the Aggie attack at will.
It was a learning experience for the Raiders who were very much the underdogs from the beginning but were still able to give their opponents plenty to worry about.
The Raiders now have a week of upcoming practice to gear up for Division 2 opponent Humboldt State who they take on next Saturday at 1 p.m.
