Dineen, Müller trouble Monarch attack to 0-0 draw

As the rain intensity picked up, so did the speed of the game. What started as a drizzle turned into a downpour: of shots that is. The Delaware men’s soccer team out-shot the No. 11 Old Dominion Monarchs 19 to 14 in Sunday’s match at the Delaware Mini-Stadium.

However, neither team found the back of the net in a game that saw a little bit of everything. The draw gave the Hens a 1-1-1 record in the CAA and 3-7-2 overall.

Old Dominion came out ready to play and dominated the game in the early going.

Delaware didn’t start fighting back until the 17th minute when they got their first real chance. Junior forward Roberto Giménez had a free kick from about 25 yards and he curled the ball over the wall but found the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands.

As the half continued, each team had spurts of chances, but neither team took control of its opponent’s mistakes.  

“They [Old Dominion] came out and showed like they wanted that game,” head coach Ian Hennessy said. “But for us the second half just made a couple of adjustments, calm them down, built them up a little bit in terms of confidence and I thought you saw a completely different University of Delaware team.”

The Hens came out controlling the pace in the second half, but the Monarchs had the best scoring opportunity.

In the 52nd minute, an Old Dominion winger crossed the ball from the right side with a low hard cross that found the attacker’s foot but also sophomore goalkeeper Jay Lupas’ hands.

“They played the ball down the sideline,” Lupas said. “They made a good cross, it was right low across the six. I just moved my feet, got set and I reacted quick enough to make the save.”

The Delaware fans roared at Lupas’ effort and he got up, fist clenched, screaming to get his team pumped up.

Hennessy said he recognized that instant as a key play in the game.

“We are so close now, the separation is really by moments,” Hennessy said of Lupas’ save. “We have good moments and bad moments.”

Hennessy said the play was certainly one of those good moments and really gave the Hens motivation and momentum.

Delaware’s quickened pace was apparent and Old Dominion head coach Alan Dawson got up from his bench and started communicating with his players from the sideline more verbally than at any other point in the game.

However, the Hens had a flurry of chances from Giménez and junior defender/forward Mark Garrity. Garrity had two shots, one of which was a low bouncing shot that glanced off the goalie’s hands and then the left post in the 79th minute.

“That one looked like it was going in from where I was,” he said. “I was getting ready to celebrate, ya know it hit off the post and usually when it hits off at that angle it comes off and goes in, but I think the goalie got a hand to it and changed the spin and took off.”

Garrity also had a goal called back after the referee said he was offside. He curled the ball around the goalie just under the bar in the first overtime, but it all didn’t matter.

He stood hands on his head and eyes wide at the referee but did not say a word.

“I had my back to the defender and I guess the linesman told me he stepped at the last second,” Garrity said of the offside call. “I was pretty devastated because it was one of the best finishes of my life. But what can you do?”

Garrity said Hennessy started him out as a central defender but moved him up to right wing last year during the tournament run. This year, the Hens needed someone to play up front with Giménez. Garrity said Hennessy tried him out at the Pittsburgh tournament and it has worked out well ever since.

Hennessy said it was a testament to Garrity’s hard work put in during training.

“We’ve been really hit with injures and try to make adjustments from the start of the season and it worked,” Hennessy said of Garrity moving to center forward. “His stock, his work grade and attitude are fabulous.”

Garrity’s off the post shot was not the only near goal for the Hens. Several other shots were just centimeters away from disturbing the back of the net. Several went straight at the goalkeeper.

“Everybody thinks football is a game of inches, but soccer is a game of inches,” Hennessy said. “They stole it from us. Our game is older.”

While the offense was at the shooting gallery, the defense was stuck to the Monarch attackers. Junior defender John Dineen was all over the pitch disturbing and frustrating each player at least once.