GUELPH, Ont. – The beautiful game can lift spirits – and it can crush souls. The Guelph Gryphons men's soccer team felt the raw pain that the world's most popular sport can inflict. Guelph's 2018 season came to an unjust end as the Western Mustangs advanced to the OUA semi-finals on a successful spot kick from Lucas Ventura in the eighth round of penalties.

Guelph deserved a better fate for how it controlled most of the match but the No. 2 seed in the OUA West was unable to find the back of the net in regular or extra time, forcing the penalties.

The Gryphons got the early jump as Dylan Rennie stepped up and coolly beat Western keeper Kody Thomson. It looked like a flying start after Guelph's goalie Erik Hermanns denied Belal Halbouni on the Mustangs' first kick.

But the shootout was far from decided and after five rounds, the rivals were all square at 4-4. Willem Grant buried one to put Guelph up and Western responded with a successful penalty from Jon Hodge. After a Gryphon miss in the seventh round, the visitors had a chance to win it but Hermanns, in for first-choice keeper Ryan Collins, who was out with a suspension, heroically stopped Luca Trivisonno's kick to extend the match.

Thomson saved Guelph's eighth attempt and Ventura ended it with his kick for a 6-5 result, breaking the hearts of the Gryphons, who instantly shed tears with the realization a great campaign had concluded.

Despite Guelph's clear advantage throughout the match, chances were initially at a premium. The match changed around the 70^th minute when the hosts had their best spell. Thomson stretched to punch a ball away in the area and on a subsequent corner, Will Grant rose for a header that went just wide of the right post.

Thomson spilled a Guelph free kick minutes, which led to another Gryphon attempt on goal, though the shot from just outside the six-yard box went over the crossbar. In the 85^th minute, Guelph's goals leader Jace Kotsopoulos pivoted beautifully near the top of the box but Thomson did well to save the ferocious volley at the left post.
Western had one of its best chances with a header that went over the bar in the 90^th minute and another flurry near the end of the allotted two minutes but Hermanns was a commanding presence and punched away a cross to send it to extra time.

Guelph had a few chances in the two extra 15-minute periods, including a wicked low cross to the back post from Peter Zehdee, a header from substitute Johnson Amoo, and then a blistering right-footed shot from Ryan Vyrostko that sliced away from the right post.

Any one of the chances would've changed the narrative but the Gryphons, despite being best all day, were left to face the uncertainty of penalties. And in kicks, Guelph's players and coaches saw their dream of another OUA banner end.

There were plenty of hugs and emotion was evident as the game marked the final Gryphon appearance for fifth-year seniors Grant, Vrostko, Conor O'Callaghan, Jalen Noronha, and Calvin Witzell.


Gryphon Take
"It's a cruel game. After the first 45 minutes, the second 45, and extra time, there was only one team – we totally dominated. We just couldn't get the breaks. When it goes to penalties, it's a crapshoot and we unfortunately came out on the wrong end. I couldn't be any more proud of them, they left everything out on the field. What fighters we are. When Erik pulled off that save to keep us going on their fifth kick, that's the spirit we show and that's what we have to take from this moving forward. That's the spirit of fighters." – head coach Keith Mason

 
The Record
Guelph is 10-4-2 regular season, 0-1 playoffs.