Gators Ready for NCAC Title Game

Nov 2, 2007

MEADVILLE, Pa. – After defeating top seeded Kenyon in a penalty kick thriller on Wednesday, the Allegheny men’s soccer team (10-7-1) looks to capture their first North Coast Athletic Conference championship since 2004 when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan (14-5-1) on Saturday evening.

The Gators fourth consecutive trip to the NCAC Title game didn’t come easy, as the squad needed a sudden death penalty kick session following two scoreless overtime periods and a tie in the first round of penalty shots in the semi-finals at Kenyon.

“We have played very good defense all year,” said head coach Angelo Panzetta. “Combining that with an outstanding performance by Ryan Larkin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) in goal enabled us to grind out a tough road win. I am very proud of our guys’ effort.”

Allegheny defeated #2-seeded Ohio Wesleyan earlier in the season with their largest offensive output of the year, a 3-0 win in Meadville. Peter Subasic (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel), Pat Doherty (Getzville, N.Y./Williamsville), and Eric Sloan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) all scored in the contest while Larkin grabbed a season-high 12 saves.

“I thought the game was played very close, despite the 3-0 score,” said Panzetta. “They (Ohio Wesleyan) had a shot just miss early in the contest and then were forced to play short-handed for 45 minutes after a red card. We did a great job of finishing our chances. Since then, both teams have seen changes to personnel and tendencies, so we know that game is in the past. Our guys also know how difficult this game will be.”

The Gators and Battling Bishops met in last year’s NCAC Tournament, with Allegheny winning 4-3 on penalty kicks in semi-final action. The Blue and Gold advanced to the title game where they fell 3-2 in overtime to Denison. Allegheny also traveled to Ohio Wesleyan for the 2005 title game, falling 3-0.

“There will be no added pressure for our players,” noted Panzetta. “We set our goals in preseason to get to this point, so I am proud of the team’s accomplishment. “We are really looking forward to Saturday.”

All of the action is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Delaware, Ohio.

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