University of Washington
Gonzaga
Husky Men Take Down Gonzaga In Dramatic Fashion
November 06, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 6, 2005
SPOKANE, WASH. - Trailing 2-1 with five minutes to play, Washington rallied with a pair of goals in a span of 2:18 to pull off a dramatic 3-2 come from behind victory over Gonzaga in men's soccer action at Martin Field, Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore forward Ely Allen knocked in the game-tying goal at 85:05 and freshman midfielder George John put his first collegiate goal to good use as the gamewinner at 87:23.
Washington (10-6-2) scored all three of its goals in the second half after Gonzaga (6-8-4) took a 1-0 lead into halftime. UW sophomore defender Nick Loveless accounted for the Huskies' first goal in the 54th minute that tied the match at one all.
"I'm really proud of the guys," UW head coach Dean Wurzberger said. "Last year's team would have struggled to come back but this team has perseverance. They never stopped believing. Ely's equalizer gave us wings, we were lively, we were moving all over the place. And George John, here's a guy that hasn't played much but played a huge role in helping us turn our season back in the forward direction and back towards a postseason bid."
Having been held scoreless the last three matches, including a disappointing 1-0 loss versus Portland Friday night, the Huskies didn't let an early goal from Gonzaga get them down. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead on George Josten's team-leading 11th goal of the season in the 19th minute. Their perseverance paid off, as Loveless evened the score with his third goal of the season off a throw-in at 53:56. Senior midfielder Mike Chabala's long throw-in into the box found John who flicked the ball to Loveless.
The Bulldogs took their second lead of the match when Chris Hoyd's 15-yard straight-away shot beat UW senior goalkeeper Chris Eylander to the right side of the net at 70:30. Fifteen minutes later, Allen found the equalizer scoring at 85:05, assisted by freshman midfielder Jo Jo Katz.
With the clock ticking down and the Huskies pressing to score, John blasted a hard shot from 15-yards that sailed high into the net at the 88th minute.
"The low we hit Friday night (against Portland) was the worst effort I've seen us play in a couple years," Wurzberger said. "The fact that we erased that and reversed it by one of the most incredible comebacks - from where we were playing it was a heck of a show of character by this team. We're flying and we've got to roll this momentum into our game versus Oregon State."
The Huskies host the Beavers in both teams' regular season finale, Sunday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m. at Husky Soccer Field.
Washington 3, Gonzaga 2
Martin Field; Spokane, Wash.
Scoring - 1, GONZ, George Josten (Mark Stock), 18:11. 2, UW, Nick Loveless (George John, Mike Chabala), 53:56. 3, GONZ, Chris Hoyd (Grant Lundberg), 70:30. 4, UW, Ely Allen (Jo Jo Katz), 85:05. 5, UW, George John (unassisted), 87:23.
Shots - UW 8, GONZ 8
Corners - UW 4, GONZ 8
Saves - UW 3 (Chris Eylander), GONZ 1 (Vito Higgins)
Fouls - UW 13, GONZ 9
Offsides - UW 0, GONZ 2
Attendance - 525
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