“It’s over! It’s over!” yelped a random Eugene Metro FC (EMFC) fan from the crowd as the final penalty kick from Juventus’ Denis Russo sailed over the goal.
Three Oregon State players, Tracy Hasson, Daniel Leach, and Robby Christner, along with the EMFC prevailed 5-4 on penalty kicks to beat Juventus Primavera in an exhibition soccer game at Papé Field in Eugene.
The penalty kicks came after the game was pulled to a tie as a result of a questionable hand ball call made in stoppage time.
The call was made in the 18 yard box and gave Juventus a chance to tie the game with a penalty kick.
“I was just really upset that the (referee) would call a penalty kick in the 90th minute,” Leland Wright told the Register-Guard.
“It was a hand ball, but it didn’t affect any of the play. It would have just dropped in the box.”
Up until that point the EMFC defense, led by Hasson and Leach, had held the Italians to a single goal.
Juventus made the ensuing penalty kick, tied the game only moments before stoppage time ended and forced the game to be settled by each team attempting five penalty kicks.
But EMFC didn’t go quietly.
Wright, Christner, Matthew Dallman, Hasson and Jordan Crasilneck each scored for EMFC.
Juventus was successful on each of its first four attempts. But the final kick, by Denis Russo, sailed over the crossbar.
The stadium crowd erupted in cheers.
“Putting this event on is an unbelievable miracle for us, but winning this game … it’s very big,” co-head coach Jurgen Ruckaberle told the Register-Guard. “We actually deserved to win. It wasn’t a fluke. I think we were the better team.”
The win has been dubbed a “Victory for Northwest soccer” by local enthusiasts.
“That tells other foreign players that are going to be coming and playing here that it’s legit competition,” Christner told the Register-Guard.
Juventus finished 0-3 in the Northwest. They lost 3-0 to the Seattle Sounders and 1-0 to the Portland Timbers.
The EMFC scored in the 76th and 85th minutes to take a 2-1 lead. The goal in the 85th minute, scored by Christner assisted by Wright, appeared to be the game winner until the hand ball call.
“That play was mostly (Wright). I did the easy work and put it in the back of the net.” Christner told the Register-Guard.
Christner, Hasson and Leach swapped jerseys after the game and were able to keep a memento of their performance.
The three players return to the field this fall with the experience of playing an Italian club and a world class talented team.
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