BABSON PARK, Mass. – After playing to a scoreless draw through two overtime periods, visiting Saint Joseph's College (15-1-6) defeated Babson College (11-5-4) in penalty kicks, 4-2, in an NCAA Tournament First Round match at Hartwell-Rogers Field on Saturday afternoon.
ON THE DOCKET
With the victory Saint Joseph's, which extended its unbeaten streak to 20 games, advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Previously, the Monks suffered first-round losses in 2009 and 2011.
In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Monks will face Brandeis University, which defeated Western New England University 2-1 in OT in the later game today. The first-ever meeting between the Monks and the Judges kicks off tomorrow in a 1:10 PM start at Hartwell-Rodgers Field. For Babson – the #3 team in New England in the latest NCAA DIII Regional Poll - the setback signals the end of the 2016 campaign.
THE SHOOTOUT
In the shootout, SJC sophomores Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.), Daulton Gaumer (Corona, Calif.) and Rory Twomey (South Windsor, Conn.) and first-year Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) all buried penalties for the Monks. Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) turned away seven shots and made one save – an acrobatic stop that ricocheted off his foot and straight down from the crossbar - in the shootout.
Junior Ian Fromhein (Osterville, Mass.) and senior Joe McWeeney (Lexington, Mass.) both converted penalty kicks for the Beavers. First-year Austin Mankouski (Suffield, Conn.), who was making the first start of his career, finished with two saves in regulation. Prior to the PK round, Mankouski was lifted in favor of freshman keeper Steven Heintzelman (Middleton, Mass.), who failed to make a save in four Saint Joseph's penalty kick attempts. For Heintzelman, the appearance was the first of his collegiate career.
TEAM STATS
Babson finished with a 17-8 edge in shots and 9-5 advantage in corners over 110 minutes.
CLOSE CALLS
- Babson first-year Youcef Ziad (Holbrook, Mass.) had his header saved off a cross from senior Kofi Abankroh (Worcester, Mass.) in the 19th minute
- Babson sophomore Jackson Greenspan (Meriden, N.H.) missed high with his header following a restart in the 27th minute.
- Saint Joseph's junior Trevor Lopes (Cumberland, R.I.) had a good look but missed high in the 57th minute
- The Beavers saw a free kick deflect off a defender and off the right post in the 73rd minute
- Mullen denied a Fromhein bid with a fantastic diving stop from the edge of the six-yard box in the first overtime to keep the game deadlocked
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the result, Saint Joseph's is now 0-1-1 all-time versus Babson College, a team the Monks last played in the 2014 season-opener – and the debut of SJC Head Coach Adrian Dubois – when the Beavers posted a 3-1 victory over the Royal Blue.
Those following the Monks know today's result is the team's second PK triumph of the 2016 postseason, as St. Joe's advanced in the exact same fashion versus Norwich University in the GNAC Championship last Saturday.
These results do not qualify as victories, but rather as ties, according to Section 7, Article 2 of the NCAA Soccer Statisticians' Manual: All contests decided by the tiebreaker procedure of taking kicks from the penalty-kick line or spot shall be counted as ties for each team's overall record. The score shall be recorded as a tie.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.