Post prevails in shootout
BY MARK JAFFEE
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
WATERBURY — Pictureperfect weather was the backdrop for a perfect ending for junior goalkeeper Soren Jensen and the Post University men’s soccer team at LaMoy Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the partisan crowd chanting his name, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound netminder from Nyborg, Denmark, instinctively dove to his right with two hands to deflect the final penalty kick by Christian Vorchheimer of West Chester (Pa.), clinching the Eagles’ NCAA Division II Tournament win, 1-0. Post won the shootout, 2-1.
Forward Gentian Selimi, of Pristina, Kosovo, gave the Eagles the 2-1 edge when he fired his penalty shot into the upper left corner, sending the crowd of 300 and the Eagles into a frenzy.
“I prepared well for that shot,” said Selimi. “I knew exactly where the ball was going and, fortunately, it went well for us.”
The No. 4-seeded Eagles (14-1-5) advanced to the third round on Thursday, Nov. 30, at top-seeded and defending national champion Franklin Pierce, a 3-0 winner over Bloomsburg.
The Eagles played Pierce on Sept. 11 at LaMoy, and the visitors won, 3-0. That’s the only loss this season for the Eagles, who extended their unbeaten streak to 16.
The Eagles and Golden Rams were scoreless after 90 minutes and two 10-overtime sessions, forcing the penaltykick shootout.
Not to worry, said Post sen- See POST, Page 13A
Post goalkeeper Soren Jensen makes a diving save on the final penalty kick of a game-deciding shootout with West Chester (Pa.) during their second-round NCAA Division II tournament game Saturday at LaMoy Field in Waterbury.
JIM SHANNON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Continued from 16A
ior defender and captain Felix Nassen, of Stockholm, Sweden, who knows the value of his goalkeeper.
“Soren has always stepped up in the big moment,” said Nassen. “He brings that confident look. What he did was just beautiful.”
“What Soren did was not normal,” Post coach Ted Haley said of Jensen stopping three PKs. “He walked into the team huddle after the second overtime and said to all of us, ‘I got this.’ When someone of his caliber says that, you have to believe him. I think he proved today that he is an All-American.”
Jensen recorded eight shutouts during the regular season. Tied games don’t go to overtime in the regular season, so Jensen had no game experiences to prepare for this. Trying to emulate PK’s in practice is not an easy task.
“I had a really good feeling,” said Jensen, who said he didn’t feel any nervousness. “I didn’t guess on the penalty saves. I did a lot of research on what their players’ tendencies were. I just trusted my gut. I knew a lot of people were watching. I had to make the save. I really didn’t know what was happening. I knew he (Vorchheimer) favors going to his left and my right. I just saw the ball and reacted. I dove and reached for the ball. When the ball hit my hands, I knew the game was over.”
Does it help to be 6-foot-6?
“Yes, it does,” said Jensen, who stopped Andrew Markopoulos’ first PK attempt by going to his right.
Post’s Andrea Berti saw his attempt get stopped by West Chester keeper Daniel Good. Josh Daniels scored for West Chester as Jensen guessed left, and Daniels punched the ball into the middle of the net.
“They’re supposed to score on a PK,” said Jensen. “That’s in their favor. I put it out of my mind.”
Post graduate student Nick Anagnostidis tied the game with a shot into the upper right corner of the net.
West Chester’s Owen Slack and Post’s Deni Iljazi then both missed their attempts, setting the stage for Selimi’s game-winner.
Just before the shootout, Haley told his team: “You guys deserve this. When you put the ball down, make sure of your decisions. Go with no fear. Know you are scoring.” The Eagles outshot West Chester, 13-8, in regulation and OT. Perhaps the best chance came with about 20 minutes left in the second half. Selimi had a clear shot at the goal inside the box, but his ground ball went wide.
“It was a very physical game,” noted Nassen. “West Chester is a very good team. We had our opportunities, but we just couldn’t capitalize on them. But we showed that we’re a strong and resilient team, and we’re moving on.”
Post University soccer players celebrate with their fans after a dramatic NCAA Division II tournament over West Chester (Pa.) in a penalty-kick shootout. Video highlights and more photos from the match at rep-am.com/sports.
JIM SHANNON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Post’s Pablo Tenorio (14) heads the ball between West Chester’s Josh Daniels (8) and Owen Slack during their NCAA Division II second-round tournament game Saturday afternoon at LaMoy Field in Waterbury.
JIM SHANNON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
