Box Score Watch replay of match
AURORA, Ill. – Officially, it's a tie, but good luck telling the Edgewood College men's soccer team they didn't win on Saturday. The Eagles survived a 10-round marathon penalty kick shootout following their 1-1 tie with third-seeded Aurora University to advance in the NACC Tournament. Edgewood College won the shootout 8-7 to advance to the semifinals on Tuesday against top seed Benedictine University.
The shootout looked anything like an Eagles success after the first two rounds. Aurora went low on Eagles goalkeeper Chad Stivers and Spartan goalkeeper Zach Richter, who entered the match just for the shootout, stuffed the first two Eagle shots, for a 2-0 Spartans lead. However, Stivers saved a shot from Aurora's Kory Nelson on the third attempt and the Eagles momentum began to shift.
Still, Edgewood College trailed 3-1 with only two kicks remaining in the allotted five. Phillipp Konemann who hadn't played in the game, blasted his shot into the upper right corner, and Stivers stopped Aurora's Corey Novotny, leaving the Eagles fifth kick to Sam Quinones. Quinones went hard to the low right corner to tie the shootout at 3-3 and set up alternating sudden death kicks.
That's when the marathon began. Aurora scored their next four penalty kicks, but the Eagles answered with successful scores by Stephen Gilbert, Max Harty, Andrew Aurit and Henry Simon and the shootout stayed level at 7-7. On the 10th kick for Aurora, Stivers made the save of the day. Matthias Warren went low left, but Stivers was ready for him, diving to his right and punching the ball away. The stage was set for Keoni Roberson. Roberson eyed Richter and went hard to the upper right corner to win the shootout 8-7 and secure the Eagles place in the semifinal round.
Both goals in the game were scored early in the first half. Aurora's Jon Palomar tallied his fourth goal of the season off an assist from Patrick Ries in the 13th minute. Hoever, just six minutes later, Jacob Overman scored a header off a cross from Roberson to tie the match at 1-1.
Aurora outshot the Eagles 27-7 in the match, but Stivers made every play Edgewood College needed. The sophomore from Lakeville, Minn. Made 10 saves in the match and three more in penalty kick shootout to keep the Eagles championship hopes alive. The shootout was the longest in NACC Tournament history. There have been four shootouts in NACC Tournament history with the Eagles participating in three of them. The Eagles lost a shootout to Dominican in a 2006 semifinal and again to Aurora in a 2007 semifinal, before winning on Saturday.
Edgewood College will now advance to a NACC Tournament semifinal on Tuesday in Lisle, Ill. against No. 1 seed Benedictine University. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m.
