Playing in their second straight double overtime game, the AU men’s soccer team was again able to capture a victory on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the University of Pennsylvania 2-1 with 20 seconds remaining.
With time expiring in the match, an AU cross from the left side deflected off of the Pennsylvania goalkeeper to AU midfielder Jamie Davin, who punched in the game winner, making the Eagles undefeated in their past six games.
“I couldn’t ask for the ball in a better spot,” Davin said. “All I wanted to do was connect and I knew the goalie was screened. There were a lot of guys in front of him and luckily it got through and ended up in the back of the net. It was a good win.”
In the first half, it seemed as if the Eagles were going to run away with the game, as they had nine shots compared to their opponents two. Despite the shot disparity, AU was only able to come away with one goal in the half. David Menzie launched a long pass to sophomore Jack Scott who was able to beat the Penn goalie on a breakaway to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
In the game’s first 45 minutes, AU was aggressive and decisive with the ball. Their defense was solid, dispelling any offensive attempt from the Quakers. The second half was a different story however, as the Eagles played on their heels for most of it. Pennsylvania forward Loukas Tasigianis knotted the game up on a hard shot that goaltender Matt Makowski got a piece of, but couldn’t prevent from trickling into the net.
From that moment, Makowski single-handedly kept AU in the game. UPenn had nine shots in the half and Makowski made five saves. The goalkeeper stopped a breakaway attempt with 15 minutes remaining, making a diving save to preserve the tie. He also slid to break-up another Pennsylvania chance minutes later.
Nick Kapus looked to break the tie in regulation with under a minute remaining, but his shot to the goalie’s right required a diving effort to push the game to overtime.
The Quakers dictated the pace in the first overtime frame, but the Eagles did have two scoring chances of their own. Daniel Shannon had his shot sail over the net and Davin, who was alone in front of the net after a cross from Colin Zizzi, chipped his shot high-and-wide.
AU was able to get five shots in the second overtime period, while at the same time preventing UPenn from taking a single one. Ultimately, it was the last one that counted most.
“[UPenn] is a good team,” AU Coach Sean West said. “Finding a way to win these games is the difference in having an average season versus what could potentially be a special season.”
The win against Pennsylvania closes out the out-of-conference portion of the schedule for the Eagles. They look to remain undefeated in the Patriot League when they face Navy on Oct. 17.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
