ALFRED, N.Y. – Senior goalkeeper
Willie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) made three saves in the penalty shootout to help the Manhattanville College men's soccer team advance to the ECAC Metro/Upstate semifinals after defeating Alfred University 5-4 in penalty kicks.
The Valiants (9-6-5 overall) overcame a second-half deficit when sophomore
Jefferson Santos (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) knocked in a loose ball in the penalty area in the 59th minute for his first career goal to level the score at 1-1, a score that would hold up through regulation and two overtime periods.
Alfred (10-5-3 overall) won the coin toss and elected to shoot first in the penalty shootout, hoping to put the pressure on Manhattanville in later rounds. Silber however had other plans, as he was able to stop the first Saxon shot to give the Valiants momentum. Silber's twin brother, senior
Eddie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East), put Manhattanville ahead 1-0 after the first round with a goal in the Valiant's half of the round.
After a successful attempt by Alfred in the second round, senior
Kevin O'Reilly (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) was unable to beat Saxon goalkeeper Chris Gutierrez. Silber again made a great save in round three, but Guterrez also denied junior
Omar Parra (Gulfport, Miss./Gulfport) to keep Alfred's hopes alive.
The teams went back and forth in rounds four and five to keep the score even 3-3 headed to the sudden death rounds. After an Alfred goal in round six,
Willie Silber (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) turned around as a shooter and beat Gutierrez to keep the Valiants alive. In the seventh round, Silber made his third save of the shootout, and freshman
Michael Jean-Charles (Bradenton, Fla./Brien McMahon High School) netted the game winner to send Manhattanville on to the semifinal round.
"This was a very tough trip for the guys at such short notice so to come away with a victory is very pleasing," said head coach
Gregg Miller.
The Valiants controlled the tempo for the majority of the game, outshooting Alfred 9-8 in terms of shots on goal.
"We absolutely deserved to advance. We controlled the vast majority of the game and on another day might have scored more goals. We definitely got tired at the end and we're dealing with a plethora of injuries so I'm very happy for the players that they get this opportunity to compete for a post-season championship," said Miller.
The Valiants will continue their pursuit of that championship Saturday when they travel south to Pomona, N.J. to take on Stockton University in the semifinals of the ECAC Metro/Upstate region. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 A.M.
