Men’s Soccer Eliminated in Penalty Kicks
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | OT2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell (6-10-1, 2-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
New England Col. (8-7-3, 4-1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HENNIKER, N.H. – After playing to a scoreless draw through 110 minutes in the first round of the 2022 New England Collegiate Conference Men's Soccer Championship, second-seeded New England College advanced past third-seeded Mitchell College by a 4-3 decision in penalty kicks on Wednesday night at Don Melander Field.
The Pilgrims move on to face top-seeded Eastern Nazarene College in the conference finals on Saturday, November 5 at 7:00 pm. Mitchell ends the season with a record of 6-10-1.
After both teams converted on the first two kicks of the shootout, Mitchell sophomore Matt Ladd (Griswold, Conn.) has his shot blocked by NEC goalkeeper Hayden Walker. Robenson Saintil answered for the Pilgrims, putting the home squad in the driver's seat, however following a make by senior Nolan Clack (Hanson, Mass.), Logan Cassin chipped a shot high to even the playing field for the PK shootout at 3-3.
The tides turned in favor of NEC on the ensuing PK, as senior Brandon Sirois (Lebanon, Conn.) missed high, setting up 2021 NECC Player of the Year Wiskens Flavil with an opportunity to walk it off. The senior made the most of that opportunity, sailing the ball past a diving Joey Rosa (Mystic, Conn.) into the left corner of the goal and sending the Pilgrims to the men's soccer final for the second consecutive season.
The two teams played an even and competitive first 90 minutes, with Mitchell holding the slight shot advantage 17-14, but the Mariners had made the most of their opportunities, logging seven shots on goal to just two for the Pilgrims. With just over two minutes until the end of regulation, Mitchell sophomore Dylan Lucey (Lebanon, Conn.) attempted to break the deadlock with a header, but Walker dove and deflected the ball in the top left corner of the net.
The Mariners nearly ended things one minute and 40 seconds into the second overtime when Flavio Alvarado (New London, Conn.) took a pass from Nick Forst (Ellington, Conn.) at the top of the goal area and shot it just high, firing the ball over the net. That was the last quality look the visiting team would see, as the score remained 0-0 after 110 minutes and the action moved into a penalty kick shootout.
Mitchell held a 19-16 advantage in total shots, and Rosa, a senior, finished with two saves to record his third clean sheet of the season. NEC keeper Hayden Walker recorded seven saves.
The Mariners also held an advantage over the Pilgrims in corner kick opportunities, as Mitchell had 10 while the home team just six.
Clack led Mitchell with seven shots, while Nick Ghirardi (Salem, Conn.), Lucey, and Forst were all credited with three shots.
