MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Millersville men's soccer team secured its first NCAA Tournament win since 2013 in dramatic penalty kick fashion on Saturday night over Gannon to advance to the third round.
The Marauders dominated the box score from start to finish on a night that didn't see over 35 degrees, outshooting the Golden Knights 28-7, including a 15-5 edge on frame; however, none of that mattered when the clock showed zeros and the scored tied 2-2 at the end of the second overtime and 110 minutes of action. It was one PK at a time from that point on, and the Marauders understood the assignment.
In the first round, Anthony Calamia and Gannon's Joe Knox each converted their attempts. The start of the second PK round saw possibly the biggest play of the game for Millersville, as goalkeeper Bobby Bosch dove right to stop a Bek Nurlanbek shot that gave 'Ville an advantage the rest of the way. Matteo Adiletta and Jake Altimore each converted their chances, while Spencer Shortt was stopped by Gannon's Maximilliano Rocco. Gannon also converted two of three. This set up a winner-take-all attempt from Bob Hennessey in the fifth round, and the redshirt sophomore provided fireworks for the Marauder fan base. Rocco went left, as Hennessey fired right to send his team to the third round.
Millersville, the reigning Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champions started the scoring early in the fifth minute when Shortt found Adiletta to take the first lead of the evening. Seven minutes later, Gannon sent a cross into the box that forced a Marauder own goal that tied the match at oen. There was a 50 minute break in between scores, but it was worth the wait, as Matt Lynch continued to show how electric he can be off the bench with a steal and open-net score to put Millersville up. The Golden Knights wouldn't go away without a fight though, Benjamin Querling, who only logged 24 minutes, netted the equalizer in the 70th minute off a pin-point pass from Sergio Del Castillo.
The Marauders will enjoy a brief break for Thanksgiving before heading to New Hampshire for a third round matchup with No. 1 seed Franklin Pierce on Dec. 2 or Dec. 3.
POST GAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH STEVE WIDDOWSON
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On the rematch with Gannon: "A little crazy. The PSAC Championships was fantastic. Two brilliant performances by the guys. Monday was a strange day. We were disappointed to get Gannon again on the turnaround. We were fine playing them again but wanted to play someone different. We knew Gannon was going to make some adjustments, which they did. I think we deserved it at the end of the day. We made our lives harder for ourselves than it should have been, but we've done that a lot this year."
• On the round of penalty kicks: "It was just waiting for the moment. We just couldn't quite put them away. I knew those situations would be coming along. We just couldn't find that one pass or that one shot. PK's are fine. I've been through a few of them in my career. We've done all the prep work. The boys stepped up and did what they had to do, and I knew they could."
POST GAME REACTION FROM REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE BOB HENNESSEY
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On the emotions of the game: "It was a long hard-fought match. I thought we played well. I thought we controlled the game and had a lot of opportunities. We put our hearts on the line and played a full 90 plus the extra time. We were confident in each other and confident in Bobby."
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On the winning PK shot: "Widdow told us he wanted us to have our shots set before we left the circle. That brings confidence into our minds. We support each other that if we miss it's OK because we know Bobby will pick us up."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Millersville out-shot the Knights 28-7, including 15-5 on goal.
• 'Ville had nine corner kicks, while Gannon had five.
• Bosch recorded four saves in the victory.
• Lynch led the team with four shots on goal off the bench, Shortt and Calamia followed with three each.
• The chippy postseason match saw five total cards, with three of them being handed out the Marauders' way.
NOTES
• This marks the Marauders' first NCAA postseason win since the 2013 season when they took down PSAC West foe, Slippery Rock in the second round, 2-1.
• This is Widdowson's seventh NCAA tourney victory, which equals the programs total.
• This was Millersville's seventh straight victory.
UP NEXT
• The Marauders will head to Rindge, N.H. to face off with the No. 1 seed in Super Region one, Franklin Pierce University. The game will take place on either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3 with a time to be announced.
