Post Advances in NCAA Via PKs over West Chester
Courtesy of Post Athletics
WATERBURY, Conn. -- Excitement was in the air and all over the Post University campus leading up to Saturday afternoon's NCAA Tournament match at LaMoy Field as Post University Men's Soccer played host for the first time in program history to a regional match. It was a first of its kind in general for Post University Athletics as no team before Saturday had hosted an NCAA Tournament match and the match would live up to the hype for everyone in attendance and watching at home.
110 minutes would not be enough to decide who would move on to the Round of 16 on a brisk and windy day in Waterbury, Connecticut. Junior goalkeeper Soren Jensen would make three saves in the five-round penalty kick session, sealing a 2-1 victory in PKs to send the Eagles to the Round of 16 for the third time since 2019, after graduate forward Gentian Selimi gave Post the lead following a crossbar shot from junior midfielder Ryan Jammes.
THE BASICS
#4 Post University 0 (2), #5 West Chester University 0 (1) (Penalty Kicks)
#4 Post University (13-1-6)
#5 West Chester University (11-5-5)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The beginning of this match was heavily controlled by a West Chester team who came into the match aggressively versus the Eagles. The Rams would have an early opportunity against Jensen as junior defender Phil Udo-Inyang's shot was deflected by an Eagle defender and right into the hands of the junior. As time wore on, Post would start to find their rhythm and get a few offensive rushes up the pitch leading to a chance for sophomore forward Aritz Uriate, the team's leading goal scorer, to have an opportunity at giving the Eagles the lead which would be shut down by senior goalkeeper Daniel Good.
Freshman defender Ian Alicea would have a chance in the closing 10 seconds of the first half, firing a shot to the right of Jensen as the Rams applied pressure. But those would be the only saves for either team in the opening 45 minutes as both defenses held strong, living up to their expectations coming into the match as they both gave up less than a goal per game entering play today.
Coming out of the halftime break, Post would control the opening stages of the second half and while they would get no shots on goal against Good, they would manufacture a number of strong offensive pushes that led to cross passes in the box that they would narrowly miss getting to their offensive pieces for a shot opportunity. In the 69th minute, senior midfielder Pablo Tenorio would nearly give the Eagles the lead, firing in open space where he would have Good beat, but the shot went just outside of the left post keeping the match scoreless which it would remain into overtime.
In the first 10-minute session, it was the Eagles continuing to press offensively but still they were unable to manufacture a chance against Good, simply having a few cross passes to Uriate that would go wide off his head. The second 10-minute overtime was mostly all Rams as junior forward Frankie Taylor rifled a shot just over the crossbar only two minutes into it and then with under three to play junior defender Cooper Jackson headed the ball just over the net. Avoiding disaster in both of those instances, the match would head into penalty kicks with five rounds deciding who would move on.
After misses from both teams in round one, senior midfielder Josh Daniels and graduate midfielder Nick Anagnostiadis both converted on their attempts. Saves by Jensen and Good in round three sent the 1-1 tie into round four where Jammes' shot went off the crossbar while Selimi converted in the top left corner, bringing it down to Jensen to make one final stop for the win which he would do with a diving save to his left against junior midfielder Christian Vorchheimer to secure the 2-1 penalty kick win and Post University's advancement to the Round of 16.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Post University is now unbeaten in their last 16 games dating back to their match against Franklin Pierce on 9/11/23
- At home this season, Post University is now 5-1-3 overall and are a combined 8-0-3 in road/neutral site games
- This is the 11th match this season in which Post University has not allowed a goal
- This is Post University's third time in the Round of 16 since the 2019 season with their last appearance coming last season (2022) before falling 2-0 against University of Charleston
WHO'S NEXT
Post University will head up to Franklin Pierce University on a date and at a time to be determined to take on the number-one in the nation Ravens in the Round of 16 for the NCAA Tournament. The two teams are no strangers to one another as the last time they face off was on September 11th this year on LaMoy Field, the last time the Eagles lost this season, when Franklin Pierce defeated them 3-0. Post fell in the Round of 16 to University of Charleston last November on Sodexo Field.