Heidelberg Hands Anderson Heartbreaking Loss in Raven/Quaker Classic Championship

The Anderson University men's soccer team hosted the Student Princes of Heidelberg University on Sunday for the final game in the Raven/Quaker Classic. After an evenly matched battle throughout most of the game, an own goal for the Ravens allowed the Student Princes to secure a 1-0 victory and take home a first-place victory in the Classic.

The entirety of the 90 minutes of action was a back-and-forth evenly matched up battle from both teams. Heidelberg (3-0) started to game out early with a shot in the third minute of action that was heading for the back of the net, but a defensive team save kept the ball out of the net and kept the score sheet clean. The Ravens (1-2) answered quickly, taking the ball down the field and recorded back to back shots, unable to get the ball past the Student Princes goalkeeper Sigurd Ilestad.

A physical game followed for the remainder of the half. With both sides trying to gain possession, physicality became a big role in the game. A total of 10 fouls were called in the first half.

Coming out of halftime, both teams continued to look for the first goal of the match. Much like the first half, the Ravens and Student Princes continued to give it their all, taking their opportunities but struggled to find the net. Ravens goalkeeper Danny Moro-Medina (Goshen, Ind. / Goshen) recorded multiple, play of the game saves to keep the Ravens in. The Ravens once again had their fair share of chances, shots by Stephen Fite (Cincinnati, Ohio / Homeschool) and Rico Mandolini (Perrysville, Ind. / Covington Community) gave the Ravens hope, but once again the Student Princes goalkeeper kept the scoresheet scoreless.

With the game looking like it was going into overtime, both teams began to go all out. Unfortunately for the Ravens, a bad clearance led to an own goal, putting the Student Princes up 1-0. With just a few minutes left in regulation, the Ravens were able to get another opportunity, falling just short to the Student Princes.

Head coach Scott Fridley had the following to say about Sunday's game: "Well that was heartbreaking for the boys. We played so well the second half just to give them a couple chances down the stretch. We are making youthful mistakes and learning from them. Losing on an own goal is never easy to swallow, but we have to figure out why the ball was even in our end at the end of the match. Learning patience and control will be a season-long topic for us. I am excited to see the game-to-game maturation. It will be good to start getting some injuries back. This beginning of the season gauntlet of games is good to throw the young ones in the fire to see how they will respond mentally, emotionally, and physically. We are going to be fun to watch. I am most proud that they left everything on the field. Just unlucky."

The Ravens ended the game with a total of 10 shots, compared the Student Princes 11. Anderson had three on goal, while Heidelberg had five. Usman Kamara (Indianapolis, Ind. / Franklin Central) led the Ravens with three shots. Drew Vaughn (Beavercreek, Ohio / Beavercreek) recorded four intercepts, while Brayden Humbert (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) and Luke Burkle (Muncie, Ind. / Delta) each had two steals. Moro-Medina saved four of the five shots he faced while Dalton Grubbs (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) also recorded a team save. Overall, the match saw 17 fouls committed between the two sides. 

Anderson clashes with Greenville University (1-1) during the Raven/Spartan Classic on Friday at 5 p.m. at the AU Soccer Fields.