PDT Sports Editor

Considering Shawnee State's mens soccer lost its 11th game of the season on Tuesday, coach Ron Goodson and his team seemed to be in high spirits.

With two games to play, the Bears are counting small victories, not losses. Urbana defeated Shawnee State 4-0 at Shawnee State Field, but Goodson said the two first-half goals were avoidable and on the whole, his team played hard and competed.

“We played well in the second half,” Goodson said. “(Our defense) was a little soft in the first half. The second goal we hesitated and I thought it was a ball (our keeper) could have got.”

Still, trailing 2-0 with 45 minutes to play wasn't the back-breaker. It was a lightening-quick goal in the first minute of the second half that took the Bears out of the contest.

“That was kind of the game right there,” Goodson said. “That takes you out of it.”

In a game interrupted by card-happy officials handing out six yellow cards, neither team found its rhythm.

Yet, twice in the first half Urbana passed across the front of the Bears' net for easy goals with a single Shawnee State foot running interference.

Still, Shawnee State also had scoring opportunities. In what has been a troublesome problem most of the season, the Bears had chances to score. Twice in the first half good shots couldn't punch through.

“We score those and it's a new game,” Goodson said.

Saturday, Shawnee State plays its final AMC game against Ohio Dominican. Not only will it be the Bears last chance to get an AMC victory and senior night, but the Panthers are trying to stay tied with Rio Grande atop the standings.

“We have to give it all out for our seniors and we want to ruin their season,” Shawnee State's Gonzalo Perez-Beck said. “We only lost by one to them last season so they are not unbeatable.”

Perez-Beck is the Bears' leading scorer and focus of most defenses. After his wheeling kick from 30 yards out nearly snuck under the top bar, Urbana's coach yelled, “We have to stay on No. 10.”

“We just have to finish the chances we have,” Perez-Beck said. “We have to work more together. It's late in the season, we're all tired, and we're leaving our forwards alone. We need to get more people up there.”

Unlike on Tuesday when a few lapses cost Shawnee State, Goodson said, against Ohio Dominican, his team will need to put together 90 minutes.

“We just have to come out and play hard,” he said. “We're good at playing in spurts. We just need to put it together.”

JASON R. CRISLER can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 242 or at crislerj@gmail.com.

Urbana 2 2 - 4

Shawnee State 0 0 - 0

First half - 1, Urbana, Partin (Frasure), 22nd minute; 2, Urbana,

Baskin (Thacker), 35th minute.

Second half - 1, Urbana, Baskin (unassisted), 46th minute; 2, Urbana,

Grove (Schnipke), 79th minute.

Yellow Cards - SSU, Purdy, 45th minute; Urbana, Baskin, 49th minute;

SSU, Ross, 59th minute; SSU, Sampson, 66th minute; SSU, Judge, 75th minute; Urbana, Horstman, 80th minute.

Records - Shawnee State 3-11-1; Urbana 10-6.