Wisconsin Soccer Central

After shaking off a slow start Sunday afternoon, the Madison 56ers had clicked into top gear, erasing a two-goal deficit and pushing to take the lead in their must-win match against the Quad City Eagles in Riverdale, Iowa.

And then it all came to a crashing halt.

A 59th-minute red card issued to Luke Goodnetter (Brookfield East) after an altercation with a Quad City player switched the momentum back to the Eagles - in addition to the mathematical advantage - and the home side went on to a 4-2 victory to clinch their first National Premier Soccer League Midwest Region Central Conference title.

"It's tough to go with 10 and push for a goal," said Madison coach Jim Launder, whose team won the conference championship last season. "Honestly, if we didn't get a guy sent off we would've won that game."

Launder said Goodnetter's sending off "probably" was justified, explaining that the UW-Milwaukee midfielder reacted after an incident with Quad City veteran midfielder Emlyn Jacoby. "The other guy elbowed our guy in the face and the referee didn't call it, and our guy took exception and grabbed him," Launder said.

Needing to win to stay in the title race, the 56ers couldn't afford to bunker in with 10 men for the final half hour. Launder put on forwards Jade Johnson and Jed Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) and played three, then four, forwards, but that left them susceptible in the back.

Javier Bautista gave Quad City the lead for good with his second goal of the day and NPSL Midwest-best 10th of the season in the 73rd minute, and second-half sub Drew Edmond added an insurance goal in the 86th.

"We needed two goals or nothing," Launder said, "and we got nothing."

The Eagles (9-0-1), who will play host to the Great Lakes Conference playoff champion in the Midwest final on July 20, scored twice in an 8-minute span in the first half to put Madison (5-3-2) in an early hole.

"We were playing like we were scared to lose, that's the only way I could put it," said Launder, whose team had been unbeaten in its previous five matches in all competitions. "It was strange, we didn't play well to start."

A giveaway by the 56ers' in their defensive half led to Bautista's 28th-minute opener, and Jacoby doubled the lead on an excellent free kick from just outside the box in the 36th. Jacoby lifted the ball over the wall and past UWM goalkeeper Ryan Onwukwe into the upper left corner. "A very good shot," Launder said.

Moments before halftime, though, the 56ers started their comeback. Anthony Santaga (Green Bay Notre Dame) got on the end of a free kick by left back Chris Brown (McFarland/UW-Platteville) and headed it in for his second goal in three games since returning from an ankle/Achilles injury.

Launder's only changes at halftime had to do with his players' approach. "I just tried to get an attitude adjustment going on, and I thought that worked," he said. "When we came out at halftime, we were all over them."

Carlos McCrary ran on to a long ball, got in behind the Eagles' backline, fended off a would-be tackler and finished for his team-best seventh goal of the season to pull Madison level in the 51st.

"We got the second one and we almost got the third and almost got the third again, and then we were on a really good attack when the (red) card happened," Launder said.

In many ways, the match summed up the 56ers' season: A shaky start, good in the middle, but in the end just not enough.

"I think this is just how it happens sometimes," Launder said of the team, which came into the season with an experienced roster and high expectations but has been plagued by injuries and uneven performances. "Last year we came together really well, we had very few injuries until right at the end. This year was just the opposite."

Madison closes out the schedule with two matches this week, at the second-place Milwaukee Bavarians (6-3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Glendale and against Quad City at 7 p.m. Saturday at Breese Stevens Field.

"We'll try to finish well," said Launder, who also will hold training sessions for the team next week.

QUAD CITY EAGLES 4:2 (2:0 HT) MADISON 56ERS

July 7, 2013 NPSL match at Pleasant Valley HS, Riverdale, Iowa
Quad City Eagles – Javier Bautista (Emlyn Jacoby) 28
Quad City Eagles – Emlyn Jacoby 36
Madison 56ers – Anthony Santaga (Chris Brown) 45
Madison 56ers – Carlos McCrary 51
Quad City Eagles – Javier Bautista 73
Quad City Eagles – Drew Edmond (Javier Bautista) 86

QUAD CITY EAGLES: Yves Dietrich; Kurt Albrecht, Geraldo Garza, Javid Wood (Mike Davis 51), Simon Brown (Jordan Collins 68); Emlyn Jacoby (Drew Edmond 83), Jon Sandoval (Ryan McEvoy 80), Willy Kappy (Drew Merideth 88), Javier Bautista, Kendrick Tyson; Eddie Garza (Charlie MacInnes 66). Substitute not used: Lucas Zicher (GK).

MADISON 56ERS: Ryan Onwukwe; Chris Brown, Matt Balshaw (Jed Hohlbein 81), Bryan Minogue (Andrew Stone 62), Carl Schneider; Ryan Buda (Jade Johnson 77), Keenan Newallo (Dominic O'Connor 81), Jack Keeling, Trevor Banks (Luke Goodnetter 62); Carlos McCrary, Anthony Santaga. Substitutes not used: Mike Prudisch, Claudiu Aionesei.

Saves: QC (Dietrich) 6, M (Onwukwe) 6. Shots: QC 22, M 15. Corner kicks: QC 6, M 4. Fouls: QC 13, M 10. Offsides: QC 3, M 1. Discipline: M – Goodnetter 59 (red, violent conduct); QC – Sandoval 71 (yellow, foul); M – Stone 89 (yellow, foul).