Traveling to Medford, Massachusetts today for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Gordon Men's Soccer faced an experienced Stevens Institute of Technology squad at host site Tufts University, battling extremely windy conditions through 110 minutes of regulation before falling 3-1 in penalty kicks to bow out of the tourney.
Gordon keeper
Wesley Sprague put up a highlight reel for the Scots, diving in every direction to record 14 saves and keep the high-scoring Ducks offense at bay.
With the narrow win, Stevens now stands at 17-2-2 overall on the season and advances to face No. 2 Tufts tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Scots wrap their impressive season at 12-6-2 overall.
How It Happened:
- Stevens came out of the gate firing, putting up four shots in the first 13 minutes, but despite being statistical underdogs, Gordon bested the No. 22 Ducks in shots in the first half, 6-5.
- Jarvin Ramirez used his speed to his advantage, taking two of his team-leading four shots in the first half, while Ryan Modzeleski had an opening in the 27th minute that the wind took wide right.
- Stevens' Daniel Aversano (Sr./Upper Saddle River, N.J.) was Sprague's most difficult opponent, putting up 10 shots on the day, seven of which were on goal. Perhaps the most threatening came in the 56th minute when Sprague was forced to make a diving save off an Aversano header in the box.
- With Stevens maintaining possession throughout most of the second and owning a 15-2 shot advantage, Gordon's best opportunity came with 38 seconds left in regulation when Ramirez ripped a shot just high of the crossbar.
- The Ducks took the lone shot in the first overtime before Gordon took control, outshooting Stevens in the second overtime, 6-2. After a yellow card was issued to a Stevens' midfielder just outside the area, Ian Burkhart sailed a beauty serve in to a waiting Luckson Dambo, whose shot  was blocked and bounced out to Travis Singh for another quick chance. The Ducks' Aaron Henry (Sr./Fayetteville, Ark.) made one of his three saves on the afternoon, though, to keep the score at zero.
- Gordon senior Stephen Heintz was an inch away from being the game's hero in the 109th, as his direct kick following another Stevens yellow card dinged the crossbar for the near game-winner.
- Forced into a gut-wrenching round of penalty kicks, the Scots' playoff magic ran out as a stoic Stevens squad calmly took to the spot to claim the 3-1 decision.
Beyond The Box Score:
Â
