HISTORIC SEASON COMES TO AN END

Ottumwa, IA - On Friday Your Statesmen took on the Reivers of Iowa Western Community College in the Semi-Final of the district tournament. It was the Statesmen's first appearance in the District Tournament and emotions were at an all-time high after a thrilling win in the Region 24 final vs. Lewis and Clark.  

For viewers who hadn't seen the Statesmen play yet this year, they would have had no idea this was a first experience for the program at the district level. The Statesmen came out firing, creating several chances early on in the game and making their presence felt.  

The reivers wouldn't back down from the relentless pressure though as they were first to break the deadlock. #0 Gonzalo Onrubia stopped an initial shot at goal before stopping two more back-to-back, with the ball bouncing in the box a Reiver was able to poke it beyond the reach of Onrubia as the Reivers took a 0-1 lead which is how it would stay going into the half.  

As the second half started the Statesmen buckled down and played with even more energy and passion. Refusing to give up on their historic season. The pressure would continue to mount and eventually paid off in the 58' minute when #21 Benjamin Pena controlled a soft clearance before firing a volley into the underside of the crossbar and tying the game at 1-1.  

The Statesmen would only put more pressure on the Reivers when less than ten minutes later #29 Takuto Nishide would play an early cross into the Reivers box, finding the head of #10 Ryosuke Miyata who looped the ball over the keeper to put the statesmen up 2-1 with less than 30 minutes left in the game.  

The score would remain in the Statesmen's favor until the 82' minute when the Reivers got an opportunity deep in the Statesman half. The Reivers launched a long throw in deep into the Staesman box where it was flicked into Onrubias chest making yet another save, but another Reiver was ready to pounce on the loose ball again poking it into the back of the net and tying the game with under ten to play.  

The Statesmen wouldn't go down without a fight, putting several more chances on frame in the closing minutes and forcing the Reiver keeper to make some incredible saves. Regular time would end at 2-2 sending the game into a Golden Goal overtime and that is when the chaos started.  

The first overtime the Reivers did their best to force their way into the Statesman box, keeping a very high line and creating chances but there were unable to find the winning goal despite having numerous opportunities to do so.  

The best chance (and what the entire crowd thought was the winning moment) came in the second half of overtime when the Statesmen won a free kick whipped in by #29 Takuto Nishide and there was bedlam in the 6 yard box as the Reiver keeper went down to save but bobbled the ball, setting it up perfectly for #9 Guilherme Melchiori to hammer it into the net seeming to give the Statesmen their second golden goal win of the post season. The whistle blew, the sign was given, the teams celebrated, the fans were going crazy, and then the ref blew his whistle again. The decision was made that the goal would not stand as it was deemed after the play was over that the goalkeeper had gained possession of the ball during the chaos in the box. This decision would end up being a deciding factor in the Statesmen's historic season.  

With the goal being disallowed, overtime continued with less than 4 minutes left but neither team was able to secure another opportunity to finish the game. With that being the case, the game headed to Penalty Kicks.  

The Statesmen chose to shoot first when #5 Guilherme Alves stepped up and hammered the ball into the net putting the statesmen up 1-0.  The penalties would go back and forth until the Reivers missed their fourth setting up the opportunity for Melchiori to finish the game again for the second time, but he missed high sending the penalty shootout into sudden death.  

The teams would continue to go back and forth, make for make, miss for miss, until the thirteenth round began with the Statesmen missing their initial chance, setting up the Reivers for a chance to seal the victory which they were able to do as Onrubia barely missed the ball off his fingertips bringing the Statesmen's season to a historic end.  

The game was nothing short of entertaining, the crowd was a huge factor for both teams, the support was amazing and the energy and passion given by your Statesmen was amazing to see. The Statesmen saw their historic season come to a close with a final record of 10-3-4 concluding the best season in program history, a regional title, a district appearance, and a very solid foundation for the future.  

The Statesmen now turn their sights towards the spring where they will look to build on their fall season in preparation for a return to the post season next year. Thank you as always to all of our amazing fans and supporters. We couldn't have been nearly as successful as we were without your constant encouragement and energy! 

Look for us in the Spring and stay tuned for future news. The Statesmen are here to stay! 

Go STATESMEN! 

#ROLLTRAIL!