Who said soccer can’t be action-packed?

In what Head Coach Sean Holmes described as a wacky game, the Drake men’s soccer team advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament Sunday, beating Boston College on its home field with a remarkably high final score of 6-4.

Drake (16-6-2) will go on to play North Carolina (15-2-3) at Chapel Hill, N.C., in the quarterfinals of the tournament next weekend. The Tar Heels moved on after defeating Indiana – a team Drake beat 2-1 in the preseason.

“It was the most unbelievable game I’ve ever been a part of, as a coach or as a player,” Holmes said.

Boston College scored the first two goals while holding Drake to a shutout until the 31st minute of the first half. The Bulldogs recovered from the 2-0 deficit with goals by junior midfielder Michael Noonan and senior midfielder Kevin Shrout.

“To be down 2-0 on the road and to come back is incredible,” Holmes said.

The team carried the momentum through the first 45 minutes of play.

“Once you get that first goal after being down, it just gets everyone into the game,” Noonan said. “We were all pretty pumped up at half.”

Just before the halftime whistle blew, starting goalkeeper Michael Drozd suffered an injury that benched him for the remainder of the game. Sophomore keeper Jordan Kadlec replaced Drozd in the second half.

“Our backup keeper really inspired us with the way he played, being big in the box and making saves in the second half” Noonan said.

Less than two minutes into the second half, BC freshman standout Charlie Rugg found the back of the net, putting the Eagles ahead 3-2.

Senior forward Garret Webb answered back, scoring at the 56:42 minute-mark. The referees contested the goal, calling it back for a moment. After deliberation, the refs awarded the tying goal to Drake.

The tug-of-war scoring pattern continued for the next 13 minutes as Drake took the lead at 4-3 after senior midfielder Luke Gorczyca scored. BC tied the match at 4-4 as another freshman, Kyle Bekker, scored off of a Rugg assist.

That was the last time Drake would lose its lead as Gorczyca scored the fifth goal in the 70th minute.

Noonan said the team’s strategy changed after the fifth goal. The team kept the forwards back and focused on defense to remain in control and in the lead.
Junior midfielder Matt Kuhn’s goal in the 83rd minute solidified Drake’s lead, lifting the Bulldogs to 6-4 over the Eagles.

“Everyone was ready to fight for the ball in the box, and that’s how we scored,” Noonan said. “But it was a fight to keep the lead until that sixth goal was scored.”

The action-packed game was the highest scoring in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Noonan said.