PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University Men’s Soccer team advanced to the finals of the Little East Conference Tournament with a decisive win over UMass Boston at Panther Field, but it wouldn’t come without its drama.
Igor DaCruz scored the seemingly game-winning goal for UMass Boston to give them the 1-0 lead, but the Panthers wouldn’t go down without a fight. After Felix Rosen tied the game for the Panthers with 2:21 remaining in the second half, the game into overtime. Even two overtimes wouldn’t be enough for either team, however, the game was declared a 1-1 tie and the winner was to be decided after a best-of-five penalty kick shootout.
Plymouth was declared the winner 4-2. Semir Mehmedovic, Gareth Stephens, Dustin Moya and Keith Whittemore all scored their key penalty kicks to advance.
UMass Boston finished their season with an overall record of 11-7-1 and made their first LEC Tournament appearance since 1999.
“It’s a tough league,” said Beacon’s head coach Myles Berry. “It’s an accomplishment to make the playoffs. I think it was a good year for us. We came into the pre-season poll ranked at #8. The kids really stepped it up.”
Keene State College defeated Rhode Island College 3-0, thus setting the showdown between top-seeded Plymouth State University and second-seeded Keene State College for the LEC Championship.
“We knew we had to play them [Keene] again,” said Panthers head coach Rob Write. “It’ll be here, our field, our fans.” The Panthers won earlier this season against the Owls 1-0 in double overtime on September 30.
Keene State College entered Panther Field looking for revenge and their fifth LEC Championship, and they did just that as they defeated the Panthers 3-0. Alex Horne, later announced as the game’s Most Outstanding Player, scored all three goals for the Owls.
The first half of the game was evenly played by both teams, but Hornes’ first shot of the game gave the Owls the 1-0 midway through the first half. The Panthers had the 7-4 advantage in shots in the first half, but were unable to get onto the scoreboard.
The Panthers entered the second half hungry, but their offense could not produce any goals. The Panthers got five shots in the second half, and had the 12-10 advantage in shots, but Horne would prove to be the difference maker. Horne eventually scored two more goals in the half to give Keene State College the 2006 LEC Championship.
Horne leads the Owls this year with a team-high 13 goals this season.
“We started slow but stepped it up in the second half,” said Horne. “There is a point to stepping up in big games. We knew what we needed to do.”
Keene State goalkeeper Peter Kersker got the win for the Owls making eight savings and earned his fourth shutout of the year. Plymouth goalie Tyler Shute made four saves for the Panthers.
Keene, whose overall record stands at 14-5-1, earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Panthers (10-6-2) earned a fifth-seeded spot in the ECAC Division III Tournament on Monday and hosted Brandeis on Wednesday.