FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Connecticut College men's soccer team is into the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, after playing to a 2-2 draw with No. 14 Kenyon, before defeating the Owls 3-0 on penalty kicks. With the win, Conn improves to 12-2-7 on the year, while Kenyon ends the year at 13-3-5.
Conn opened the contest with the first shot of the afternoon, coming from Rye Jaran (Downingtown, Pa.) but his effort at 2:49 was stopped. However, it was Kenyon that opened the scoring, as on their first shot, Eamon Dujakovich found the back of the net at 11:18 off an assist from Emmett Brown.
However, it did not take long for Conn to respond, as just 2:46 later, the Camels got on the board. Sam Boehm (Lexington, Mass.) worked his way down the left side of the field, before playing a cross into Gavin Vanden Berg (Lake Forest Park, Wash.) who snuck the shot under Jack Pedreschi to tie the game at one. Neither side found the go-ahead goal before the half, as the game was tied 1-1 at the break.
Both sides looked to take the lead over the first 30 minutes of the second half, but both defenses held firm. Kenyon retook the lead at 76:29 off a goal from Alem Duratovic. The Owls looked to be on their way to the next round, but again just three minutes later, the Camels equalized. After the Camels were awarded a freekick, Jaran stepped up and delivered a curling ball to the back post, beating Pedreschi untouched to tie the game at two. Neither side found a winner in regulation, as the game headed to overtime.
Across both extra sessions, Conn came closest to scoring with both Marco Perugini (Medway, Mass.) and Jack Kelesoglu (Westfield, N.J.) having shots stopped. 110 minutes of action was not enough, and the game headed to penalty kicks.
Conn opened up the spot kicks shooting first, and Matt Scoffone (Thornton, Pa.) wasted no time putting the Camels in front. Gerardo Martinez was the first shooter for Kenyon, but his shot was stopped by the ever reliable Peter Silvester (Smiths Parish, Bermuda). Perugini converted to put Conn up 2-0, before Dujakovich rang his effort off the crossbar. Elliot Spatz (Bellevue, Wash.) converted to push the lead to 3-0, meaning Kenyon needed to score. However, Duratovic put his spot kick over the bar, sending Conn back to the Elite Eight.
Conn outshot Kenyon 21-8 overall, including 9-5 on shots on target, while both teams earned five corner kicks.
Silvester got the start in goal, recording three saves in open play, before adding another stop during the penalty shootout. Jaran and Vanden Berg both scored during open play, with Boehm adding an assist, with Perugini, Scoffone, and Spatz all converting in the shootout.
Pedreschi got the start between the sticks, tallying seven saves. Dujakovich and Duratovic both recorded a goal, while Brown notched an assist.
Conn advances to the Elite Eight and will take on No. 10 Denison at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon in Fredericksburg, Va.
