Huge Conference Win Over King

Oct. 14, 2006

     Bryan men's soccer team registered a huge AAC conference win on
Saturday, defeating King College 3-2 in overtime.  The Lions have positioned
themselves very well in the conference as they sit atop the conference standings
going into a game with Milligan this Wednesday that will be pivotal
in deciding who the regular season champion may be this season.
     King came into Saturday's game with a 6-1 conference record
and proved to be a worthy opponent as the match opened with King scoring in
the 4th minute of play.  Bryan responded 8 minutes later as Manoel
Silva danced by two players and was taken down in the box for a penalty. 
Scott Davidson stepped up and  placed the penalty to the right side of the
keeper, tying the score. 
     Just 5 minutes later, King found themselves back on top with a penalty of their own and that is the way the score remained at the half.
     As the second half began, the Lions began to increase the pressure on the back line of King, creating excellent scoring opportunities through solid attacking play.  Only ten minutes into the second half, Central American sensation Tim Harris recieved a through ball on the wing, beat his man and whipped a driven cross which was side-volleyed into the
top of the net from ten yards out by Jota Silva.  It was clearly an important goal as it seemed to spur the Lions on to find the game-winner.
     King fought back hard and forced a number of critical saves out of
goalkeeper Kevin Keeley, who was a key factor in the resulting win.  Both
sides had quality opportunities including a number of chances for both teams
that found the crossbar.  It was an intense and well-fought battle
throughout the first ninety minutes and the score remained at 2-2.
      The first OT period came and went with several good chances but no
score.  In the second and OT period, both teams continued to battle
but it seemed like a goal wasn't coming for either team.  That changed with a
little over a minute remaining in the game as Manoel Silva controlled the
ball and began a winding run across the top of King's box. He slid the ball
across to a sprinting Jota Silva who hammered a shot from 25 yards out into
the bottom right corner, kicking off a celebration of his Golden Goal.
      The players were able to present a plaque commemorating Coach Sandy
Zensen's 200th win to Coach Zensen and his wife, Sharon, after the match. 
As the players circled Coach Zensen after the match and congratulated him on
this milestone in his career, the respect, appreciation, and care that they have for him was clear to all. The fans were allowed to see the type of relationship that players from 17 seasons have had enjoyed under a man they refer to as Coach Z.  Congratulations, Coach!

        The Bryan Lions are now sitting with a record of 9-3-2 and an
undefeated conference record of 4-0-1.  They will travel on Wed.
for a huge matchup with conference rival Milligan College.