http://www.allegheny.edu
Gators Advance to NCAC Championship
November 1, 2006
DELAWARE, Ohio – For the third consecutive year, the Allegheny College Gators advanced to the championship game of the North Coast following a 0-0 overtime tie, against the fourth ranked (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) and top seed Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, advancing via a 4-3 shootout victory.
The two teams played to a scoreless 90 minutes of soccer, and two ten-minute overtime periods could not decide a winner, as the two teams ended the 110 minutes of action deadlocked in a 0-0 tie.
Needing to have a team advance, five players from each squad were selected for a shootout. Starting the shootout was Allegheny’s Jeremy Garbutt (St. Louis, Mo./John Burroughs School) who put the opening attempt past the Bishop keeper, before Nick Markovich of Ohio Wesleyan returned the favor knotting the shootout score at one apiece. Eric Sloan’s (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) attempt was saved by OWU keeper Jamison Dague, before Ryan Larkin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) followed with a save of his own, stopping Brandon Bianco’s attempt, keeping the shootout score at 1-1.
Back-to-back scores by both Allegheny and Ohio Wesleyan, Allegheny’s by Bob DelGreco (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton-La Salle) and Chris Fedele (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville) and Ohio Wesleyan’s by Craig Neal and Nick Skoczen sent the game to its final two shootout shooters mired in a 3-3 tie, with Andrew Stutzman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) of Allegheny and Tim Kelly for Ohio Wesleyan preparing for their attempts.
Stutzman put his kick into the back of the net, before Larkin came up with his biggest save of the season, stopping Kelly’s attempt, advancing the Gators to the championship game, where they will face off against Denison, a team they defeated via penalty kicks en route to their 2004 NCAA Round of 16 finish.
Larkin ended the game with three saves, as he picked up his eighth shutout of the 2006 campaign, tying him with L.J. Marks for the most in a single season. Jamison Dague of Ohio Wesleyan stopped four shots overall, as the Gators out-shot Ohio Wesleyan 14-12 in the contest, including a 4-3 margin on goal.
Game time is to be announced, and check back at www.allegheny.edu/athletics for further information.