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11/13/2008 - MEN'S SOCCER
Sanchez Saves No. 2 Jacksonville in PK's
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Photo Courtesy ASunPhotos.com
BUIES CREEK, N.C. - A year ago, Jacksonville saw its Atlantic Sun Championship run end in a shootout; this year against Lipscomb, the Dolphins drew a much more favorable result, advancing to Saturday’s title game, 4-1 on penalty kicks, after the two played to a 2-2 draw in the first Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Soccer Championship semifinal from Campbell’s Eakes Athletic Complex.
Trailing 2-1 in the waning minutes of regulation, Jacksonville’s Kristian Lassen scored his second goal of the contest on a low cross from inside the box. Sebastian Lindholm and Jonathon Jackson assisted on the goal. For Jackson, it was his second assist of the game as he also earned a helper on Lassen’s earlier goal.
After two scoreless overtimes during which both teams had several opportunities win, they headed to the shootout. Jacksonville’s Oliver Klingenstein scored first and Lipscomb (10-8-3) sent out Miguel DaSilva, a unanimous selection on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team to counter. Dolphins’ goalkeeper Joey Sanchez dove to his left and made the crucial save on DaSilva.
"Before we went into the shoot-out, the coaching staff told me that [he] both would go to my left and I just followed their directions,” Sanchez said.
The teams traded goals in round two then Stefan Runeman put the Dolphins up 3-1 in the shootout. Lipscomb trotted out Tony Garibaldi next to try and keep the deficit at one but his attempt hit off the crossbar. Ramak Niakan Safi then sprinted to the penalty mark and subsequently blasted home the deciding kick.
"It is probably one of the worst ways in soccer to lose a game but it is one of the best feelings when you win a game,” head coach Mike Johnson said. “It is so against what the game actually stands for. It comes down to sometimes luck and sometimes preparation. For us, we have prepared for 365 days for penalty kicks. Our guys were stunned last year when we lost. This year we made sure we were prepared to win it if we were put in that situation again.”
Lipscomb had taken a 2-1 lead early in the second half when DaSilva drove down the right side and beat Jacksonville goalkeeper Joey Sanchez in a one-on-one battle, for his ninth goal this season, boosting his point total to a conference-leading 29.
In the first half Lassen scored his first goal of the match, connecting off a cross from Patrick Rundio 11 minutes into the game. Jacksonville (10-8-1) allowed Lipscomb to square the score at one in the 29th minute when Angel Chairez registered his fifth goal of 2008 with a right-footed shot from the top of the box. T.J. Williams picked up his second assist in as many games, his fourth overall.
Jacksonville will take on the winner of tonight’s Campbell-Belmont match in Saturday’s 3:00 p.m. final. This match, and all Men’s Soccer Championship matches, can be seen on ASun.TV. Matt Lightner and Ryan Dunn will call all the action. Should Campbell advance, it would mark the first time College of Charleston and Campbell in 1995 and 1996 that the same teams met in back-to-back title games. College of Charleston won both games.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
