The St. Francis College Brooklyn Men’s Soccer team (6-1-3, 5-1-1) tied the Hoosiers of Indiana University (10-1-1, 9-1-1) by a score of one to one, but fell in penalty kicks three to one on Sunday evening from UNC Wilmington. The Hoosiers advance to the next round as they take on the Golden Eagles of Marquette on Thursday, May 6, in Cary, NC.
Taking on the No. 2 team in the country, the Terriers were poised to build off its explosive victory in the second-overtime on Thursday night’s golden goal from senior midfielder Ivan Tapuskovic.
The Terriers were able to bounce back from an early goal by Indiana’s Bezerra in the 35′ by allowing junior forward El Mahdi Youssoufi to outmatch his defender, with freshman midfielder Ramchwy Saint Vil sending one directly in his direction. Youssoufi logged the teams’ lone goal of the contest.
St. Francis Brooklyn was unable to capitalize in the penalty-kick shootout, as the Hoosiers outshot the Terriers by a score of three to one.
“I’m so proud of the boys. Their effort all year was incredible, and their fight was just unbelievable. They never give up and play till the last second.” Commented Head Coach Tom Giovatto. “We knew how good Indiana was and how good they are. We came in with a game plan. Our guys followed it to a tee.”
The Terriers concluded the game with 15 shots, compared to the Hoosiers’ seven, but earned three fewer corner-kicks than Indiana (9-6).
“I thought we frustrated Indiana. I think we had the better of the opportunities in the game. A little unfortunate. They have the best keeper in the country, and he proved it today.” Concluded Giovatto.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Francis Brooklyn – 1 | No.3 Indiana – 1 (Indiana Wins 3-1 in PK’s)
- Junior forward El Mahdi Youssoufi tallied the team’s tying goal in the second half on a pass from his teammate Ramchwy Saint Vil on the left-wing. The goal from Youssoufi came in the 78′ of the contest. Youssoufi was the lone scorer in the penalty-kick shootout. The Moroccan native logged 103 minutes in the competition.
- Junior defender Harald Solland added one shot on goal in a full 110 minutes on the pitch.
- Senior defender Vicente Gallardo logged 110 minutes on the playing surface and added one shot on goal in the box late in the second half.
- Freshman Ramchwy Saint Vil logged 33 minutes on the pitch and sent the lone assist up to the eventual goal scorer in Youssoufi in the 78′.
- Junior midfielder Sokol Ymeraj registered one shot on goal in 97 minutes of action.
- Freshman midfielder Badr Mesrar added one shot on goal in 39 minutes of game-time.
- Senior forward Nicolas Molina registered a team-high five shots in the contest and logged a full 110 minutes on the playing surface.
For more information on the St. Francis College Athletics Department fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
St. Francis Brooklyn Athletics – Official Athletics Website (sfcathletics.com)