INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Drury Panthers stayed close but fell at Indianapolis 3-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference semifinals on Friday in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Drury, the fifth seed in the tournament, ends their season with an 8-7-4 record. The Greyhounds, the regular season champion in the GLVC and seventh-ranked team nationally in NCAA-II, advance to the finals with a 14-1-2 record.
Indianapolis grabbed an early lead with a goal nine minutes into the game from Caleb Mundell. Following a corner kick, the Greyhounds had a shot blocked, and Mundell picked off Drury's clearing attempt and fired a shot off of the left post and into the net for his first goal of the year.
The Panthers evened the game in the 25
th minute when
Jamie O'Brien's header found teammate
Mitch Stephens in front of the net, and the sophomore fired in a shot for his first goal of the season.
Indianapolis retook the lead six minutes later, though. A corner kick by the Greyhounds set up Patryk Olczyk for his second score of the year and provided UIndy a 2-1 lead.
Early in the second half, a shot by Alejandro Steinwascher rebounded to Owen Atksison, who fired a shot inside the right post giving Indianapolis a two-goal lead in the 59
th minute.
Drury pulled back within striking distance just three minutes later, though.
Adem Hamdaoua's free-kick from 29 yards out sailed over the goalkeeper's head and into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
The Panthers got a shot on goal in the 80
th minute from
Jayd Hamdaoua, but Greyhounds goalie Drew Mueller got the save and denied Drury a chance to tie in the closing moments of regulation.
Indianapolis advances to the GLVC Championship game on Sunday to play Illinois Springfield, who defeated 12
th ranked Maryville on penalty kicks in the other league semifinal game.
#allweDUiswin
