Elmira Advances to Men's Soccer Championship
Pittsford, NY – The Elmira College Men’s Soccer team advanced to the Empire 8 Championship game in thrilling fashion 2-2, by winning in the sixth round of penalty kicks, 4-3, Friday afternoon in Pittsford. The win improves the Soaring Eagles to 12-2-2 overall, while the loss drops Nazareth to 10-6-1. Elmira will advance to take on Stevens Sunday at noon in Hoboken for the Empire 8 Championship and the right to advance to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament. The Ducks defeated Ithaca 2-1 in the other Empire 8 Semifinal.
Defensive miscues led to the first goal for each team. Five minutes in a Nazareth defender turned the ball over in the right corner as fourth year classmates Jason Guernsey ’12 (Cherry Valley, NY -- Cherry Valley) and Alston Eldridge ’12 (Sharon, CT -- Kent School) double teamed the Golden Flyer defender. Guernsey took the ball, dribbling along the right end line and fed Eldridge who registered his second goal in as many games to give EC a 1-0 lead.
Nazareth controlled a majority of possession in the first half, as they outshot Elmira 17-4. Those chances finally paid off a little more than halfway through the stanza when Rikesh Lad threw a long ball from the right sideline. There appeared to be a bit of confusion between Soaring Eagle goalkeeper Jared Micheller ’12 (Avon, CT -- The Winchendon School) and a defender. It resulted in a rebound to an open Ryan Foley who found the back of the net. Despite more Golden Flyer chances Elmira was able to keep the match tied at one at the break.
Elmira started with a spark out of the gates, just as they did in the beginning of the game. Four minutes into the second half they got a lift from Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Andre Germano ’15 (Campinas, Brazil -- The Winchendon School).Ernesto Valverde ’12 (East Hampton, NY -- East Hampton) beat two defenders, blasting a shot that was blocked and deflected right to Germano. Golden Flyer goalkeeper Kyle Conolly came out as Germano shot and it deflected off Conolly into the back of the net.
With just less than 20 minutes left Nazareth converted on a set piece off a corner kick. James Wheeler took the corner kick, finding Simon Mounsdon who flicked the ball in the box to Sean Dorman. Dorman rifled a shot into the right corner of the net to tie the game at two. Twelve minutes later Dorman nailed a diving header on net and Micheller made a tremendous point blank save to preserve the 2-2- tie. Despite being outshot 28-8 in regulation Elmira made its shots count as the game went to extra time.
In the first overtime period both teams had one good chance in the final two minutes of the period. Germano drilled a shot just wide of the left post with two to play and then Wheeler placed a shot just outside the left post past a diving Micheller. In the second overtime period Elmira registered the only shot, as the game would be decided by penalty kicks.
It was a back-and-forth affair in penalty kicks. Micheller made a save on Lad’s shot, while Alexander Poole ’13 (Chilmark, MA -- Martha’s Vineyard) knocked home the first shot to give Elmira a 1-0 lead. Nazareth converted back-to-back shots, with EC missing its second and third opportunities. With the Golden Flyers leading 2-1 after three attempts the Soaring Eagles needed a big comeback to prevail and they got just that. Micheller stopped Nazareth’s fourth attempt, while EC tied it up at 3-3. Simon Mounsdon scored on the Flyers fifth attempt making it a must-score situation for Elmira. In the most unlikely shooter Micheller stepped up and knocked home a huge shot to tie it at 5-5 for EC. Seconds later he came up clutch again stopping Chris Eccles attempt. This left Jared Cipriano’14 (Wilmington, VT -- Twin Valley) a chance to lift Elmira to victory as he calmly stepped up and beat Connolly for the victory.
Micheller made eight stops in regulation and the overtime periods for Elmira, while Connolly made two saves for Nazareth. EC returns to action in the Empire 8 Championship game Sunday at noon against host Stevens in Hoboken, NJ.