WILMINGTON, NC– The St. Francis College Brooklyn men's soccer team took down the Panthers of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-1 in double overtime on Thursday evening from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington campus in the first round of the 2020 NCAA College Cup.
The Terriers earned their first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1978, when they defeated Adelphi in the First Round, followed by a two-nil defeat against Columbia in the respective Sweet Sixteen, before falling to Clemson in the Elite Eight.
Looking to earn its first victory in over 40 years, St. Francis Brooklyn came out steaming hot against their opponent. They were able to record a shot just 12 minutes into the match off the foot of senior forward Nicolas Molina but was saved on target by Milwaukee's Chiappa.
The Terriers were able to generate pressure throughout the first half, as they recorded a seven-spot in the shot category, compared to the Panthers' two.
In the second half, the Panthers were able to get on the board following a penalty kick goal scored by Raul Medina. The Terriers were able to respond with seconds on the clock, as senior defender Domenico Pugliese sent one down the wing towards senior midfielder Ivan Tapuskovic, who was able to head one towards the cleats of junior forward El Mahdi Youssoufi, who sailed the tying goal past Chiappa.
Cruising along the near sideline was Youssoufi, who was able to beat out a pair of defenders and send across directly to Tapuskovic, who concluded the contest with the golden goal, as the final shot sailed over the head of the Milwaukee keeper. The lone three shots in the second overtime came off Molina and Tapuskovic.
St. Francis Brooklyn becomes the first Northeast Conference (NEC) men's soccer program to advance to the second round since 2012 when the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson were able to get past the Big East's St. John's Red Storm in a one-nil victory. The Terriers are also the first NEC team to record a win in the NCAA College Cup since the Knights; as mentioned earlier, they took down Saint Louis by a score of 2-1 in double overtime.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 2 | UW Milwaukee – 1
- Senior midfielder Ivan Tapuskovic registered the golden goal in the 105' of the contest. The Belgrade, Serbia native tallied an assist on the teams' tying goal and a total of three shots on the game in 94 minutes on the pitch.
- Junior forward El Mahdi Youssoufi tied the contest with 1:08 remaining in regulation on a header from Tapuskovic and a cross from senior defender Domenico Pugliese. Youssoufi tallied three shots, a pair of shots on goal, and an assist on the golden goal in 85 minutes on the playing surface.
- Junior midfielder Sokol Ymeraj tallied a pair of shots on goal in a full 105 minutes on the field.
- Senior forward Nicolas Molina recorded a pair of shots on the night, with one on goal. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native, recorded 105 minutes on the pitch.
- Freshman midfielder Ramchwy Saint Vil added a pair of shots on the evening, with one landing on the net in 38 minutes in a reserve role.
- Freshman midfielder Badr Mesrar registered one shot in 39 minutes off the bench.
UP NEXT: St. Francis Brooklyn returns to the NCAA Tournament as they face #3 Hoosiers of Indiana University on Sunday, May 2, on the campus of UNC Wilmington. The match is slated to kick-off at 5 p.m. and can be viewed on Stretch Portal Live.