No. 2 seed Saint Leo falls to No. 3 seed Panthers with 51 seconds remaining in first overtime
BOCA RATON, Fla. (November 7, 2014) – Junior goalkeeper Manuel Schoenhuber made nine saves on the night, but the second-seeded Saint Leo men's soccer team found themselves bounced out of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Semifinals by third-seeded Florida Tech, falling by a score of 2-1 in overtime on Friday evening at Bobby Campbell Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
The Panthers scored the golden with 51 seconds to go in the first overtime period, earning the right to advance to the SSC Tournament Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
"We had a really good start to the game, but then we just slowed down and there was no energy or enthusiasm," said head coach Keith Fulk. "There was no excitement. We were playing first for a Sunshine State Conference Championship, and second for a berth into the NCAA's, so it's really disappointing and disheartening. It is what it is, we had a good start, and now we have to go back to the drawing board and see what happens."
The Lions, who checked in at No. 19 on this past week's NSCAA DII Men's Soccer Poll, drop to a mark of 10-3-3, while Florida Tech advances to 11-4-2.
Saint Leo pounced early, with Matthias Katerna scoring in the seventh minute off of an assist by Alexander Racca. A failed clearance by a Florida Tech defender was collected by Racca, and passed off to Katerna who curled a shot into the top left corner to give the Lions a 1-0 lead just 6:32 in.
The Lions closed out the first half holding onto their 1-0 advantage, but Florida Tech led the game in shots, 7-4, corner kicks, 5-2, and saves, 2-1.
The second stanza saw Saint Leo hold onto their 1-0 lead until late in the game when Josh Thomas scored off of a deflected header from Adin Kavara to knot the score at 1-1 in the 81st minute after consistently challenging the Saint Leo back line. After 90 minutes of play, neither team was able to come out on top, sending the match into extra time.
Florida Tech continued to build upon the momentum from the game-tying goal, capitalizing on a late opportunity in the first overtime period to tally the game-winning goal with just 51 seconds left in the first bout of extra time. Kavara connected a pass to Jack Willison, who was able to get a solid strike on target to end the game.
Schoenhuber earned nine saves on the night after facing 24 shots and 11 shots on target from Florida Tech. His counterpart, Mitch Thorn, made two saves after facing nine shots and three shots on goal from the Lions.
The Saint Leo men's soccer team now awaits news on whether or not they will earn a berth into the NCAA South Region Tournament. The Lions checked in at No. 3 on the NCAA South Region poll this past week, sitting behind Lynn University and Christian Brothers University, followed by Alabama Huntsville at No. 4, and Rollins at No. 5. The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Selection Show is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, November 10.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's soccer team, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
