Men's Soccer Wins Shootout, Heads to ECAC Semifinals
ALTOONA, Pa. - With the game tied at 1-1 and the shootout tied at 3-3, Stevenson men's soccer freshman Ryan Pierce (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) scored on the game's final attempt to send the Mustangs to the semifinals of the ECAC Division III South Championship as they advanced on penalty kicks, 4-3 Wednesday at Spring Run Stadium.
Stevenson (12-9-1) moves on to the semifinals in their first-ever postseason appearance in the program's 16-year history where they will face the winner of Wednesday night's game between Wesley and Penn State Abington on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
In Saturday's other semifinal, top-seeded Penn State Behrend hosts fourth-seeded Lebanon Valley at 1:30 p.m. Both semifinal contest and Sunday's championship are scheduled for Gannon University Field in Erie, Pennsylvania.
All of the Mustangs' goals on Wednesday came on penalty kicks, including in the 72nd minute when junior Sean Scarselletta (Severna Park/Severna Park) scored his fourth of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
The Nittany Lions (13-6-2) took a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute when Corey Suter scored his fifth goal of the season off an assist from Dane Kelsey. They would also hold a 2-0 lead in the shootout after converting their first two chances.
However, Stevenson responded with back-to-back tallies by sophomore Ayinde Akinbinu (Bowie/Bowie) and junior Samuel Bryant (Burlington Township, N.J./Burlington Township) while sophomore Ryan Flannelly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) saved Altoona's third attempt by Nathan Sonnenthal to tie the shootout at 2-2.
Richard Hopewell sent a shot high on the Nittany Lions' fourth attempt before junior Justin Bean (Silver Spring/Paint Branch) gave the Mustangs a 3-2 advantage.
Alex Snyder would score on Altoona's final attempt before Pierce ended it with the deciding fourth goal for Stevenson.
The game was the 12th in 22 this season for the Mustangs that was decided by one goal or less. The Mustangs are 5-6-1 in those games.
Flannelly was credited with just one save for Stevenson who outshot the Nittany Lions 13-5 while holding a 10-4 edge in corner kicks.
Chris Bolea had four saves for Altoona.
