The Iowa Mennonite soccer team suffered a quick exit from the state playoffs, losing in the first round to Fairfield Maharishi 3-0 at IMS last Tuesday night.

“We played well defensively,” IMS coach Marcus Miller said. “We just couldn’t put together any momentum to get a goal. It has been the same story all year.”

The Maharishi goals came off of IMS defensive breakdowns, once when a ball was miss played in the penalty area and a second when Maharishi’s speedy forwards were able to get a clear at goal.

IMS created some good scoring chances in the second half, but miscues and several dubious no-calls by the officials prevented the score and drew the ire of the IMS fans.

Coach Miller reported that he made several substitutions through the course of the game, trying to generate some offense.

“I pulled Tim Yoder out of goal and put some different people out there just to try to get something going. We had a couple of guys missing and I think that hurt us on offense.”

The missing players Miller referred to were Luke Gingerich, who was at a youth leadership conference in St. Louis, and Cameron Conrad, who had to sit out Tuesday night’s match because of two yellow cards the previous week at West Point Marquette.

Coach Miller reported that the IMS match at Marquette was extremely physical. IMS lost 3-1.

“That was a bloodbath,” Miller said of the Marquette game. “The officials just lost control of the game and the bodies were flying everywhere. It was ugly.”

Conrad had received a yellow card in the match and Miller decided to protect the midfielder by placing him in goal. However when Conrad punched a ball away from the goal, a Marquette player pulled the junior down by the ankles. When Conrad jumped up, the referee stopped play and gave both players yellow cards, Conrad’s second, which forced him out of the game and also to sit out the following match.

“It was really frustrating to see that,” Miller said. “I tried to talk to the refs, telling them they needed to get control of the game.”

However, Miller said that he nearly received a yellow card for his trouble.

“I don’t know what was going on. It was one of the roughest soccer games I have ever seen.”

On the field, Jeff Miller scored the lone IMS goal off of a direct kick from 25 yards out.

Jeff Miller also scored the only goal in an earlier match at Fairfield Maharishi. IMS lost that match 5-1. Miller’s goal came off a penalty kick.

IMS ends their season with a 2-13 mark.