(photo by Jim Lindquist)
If losing the last two games by a combined 8-1 margin and playing Lakeville South in winds gusting in the 40-miles per hour range wasn't enough to make Tiger coach Julian Buss's blood pressure rise, the ending of his team's 1-0 loss Thursday afternoon at South surely must have been.
"What can I say," Buss said. "We lost by a penalty kick and on the play the officials never did inform me or my staff who the penalty was on. A South player went down in the box but no one seemed to know anything else...and then the penalty kick had to be taken twice."
The officials allowed the first kick without Tiger keeper Chad Stivers in the net and then called for a re-kick.
The controversial call came with 5:30 remaining in regulation and put a damper on what was otherwise a solid effort by the Tigers.
"We played some good soccer," Buss said. "Chad (Stivers) had a good game in goal. Sam (Leske), Mike (Ricker), Jeffery (Hanson) and Hunter (Meyers) played solid defense.
"We put together more dangerous scoring plays than South but we were unlucky. We hit the post twice. Our shots were slightly off or didn't have enough on them."
The loss was the third straight for the Tigers who have been held scoreless in their last two outings.
Farmington (7-5-2) will close out its regular season with Missota Conference games against Chaska and New Prague next Tuesday and Thursday before starting Section 1AA play the following week. The Tigers are 2-3-1 against section competition so far this season.
