Eastern, Denver to meet in playoffs

Eastern+freshman+Simeon+Packer+dribbles+a+ball+around+an+Oral+Roberts+defender+in+the+Panthers+game+against+them+on+Oct.+14.+Eastern+won+the+game+1-0+at+Lakeside+Field.

Bryan Bund | The Daily Eastern News

Eastern freshman Simeon Packer dribbles a ball around an Oral Roberts defender in the Panthers game against them on Oct. 14. Eastern won the game 1-0 at Lakeside Field.

JJ Bullock, Assistant Sports Editor

 

The Eastern men’s soccer team has been talking about playing in the Summit League tournament since before week one of the regular season began and Thursday they finally will, taking on No. 1 seeded Denver in the first round.

Denver earned the top seed in the tournament after finishing with an undefeated 5-0 record in the Summit League. The Pioneers beat the Panthers 1-0 on Oct. 7, but Eastern head coach Kiki Lara is confident his team is better now than they were the first time these two teams met.

When they played in October Eastern was six games into an offensive drought where they failed to score any goals. Now, Lara says the team is producing more chances and scoring more goals on offense as they head into their second-straight tournament appearance.

“They have something to prove here. So it’s just a better place mentally and a better place tactically,” Lara said. “Fitness wise we are in a better place, we are a little more healthy now and have a lot more understanding of what we are trying to do offensively and defensively, collectively.”

A team that went to the national final four last year, Denver returns to the conference tournament as balanced as ever on offense and defense. The Pioneers are 5-1-1 in their last seven games and are coming off back-to-back wins over the other two tournament teams Omaha and Western Illinois.

However, the Panthers are confident as well. They are coming off their most exciting game of the season in an overtime win against Fort Wayne. Lara said coming into the tournament of a win like that gives the team extra momentum.

“It does because you have guys playing some of their best soccer of the season right now. Offensively and defensively we are back and healthy and there is a lot of belief there; there always has been, we are very good defensively, as we have been all year.”

Denver’s Andre Shinyashik was the Summit League’s most productive player this season, earning him the Offensive player of the Year award in the Conference. Shinyashik led the conference in goals with nine, shots with 64 and was tied for fifth in assists with four.

Eastern head coach Kiki Lara plans on approaching Shinyashik the same way they did earlier in the season when they held him to zero goal. But, Lara and his team have not become so focused on him that they will forget about Denver’s other threats.

“We have to respect what they do well and take away some of their strengths. So, absolutely there is a gameplan for them and their offensive player of the year,” Lara said. “We trust very much our backline and our players in front of Mike Novotny.”

Much like Eastern’s the Denver goal has not been an easy one to score on this season. Pioneer goalkeeper Nick Gardner led the conference in goals against average this season, allowing just .80 goals per game, he was also tied with Eastern’s  Novotny for most shutouts with six.

Denver as a team allowed the least amount of goals in the Summit League, surrendering just 13 all season.

Eastern will take with them to Omaha four players that achieved All-Summit league honors. Goalkeeper Novotny made All-Summit first team. Alessandro Corti made the second team and Erik Isaksson and Edgar Mesa were selected for the newcomer team.

Eastern and Denver will play Thursday at 2 p.m. in Omaha. The winner will play the winner of the Omaha-Western Illinois match Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Summit League championship.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]