Salem State Comes Up Short in NCAA Tournament, Loses 3-2 to No. 6 Connecticut College in Penalty Shootout

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The No. 6 Connecticut College men's soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament by outlasting Salem State in a penalty kick shootout on Saturday afternoon at Freeman field. Following a scoreless 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of sudden death overtime, Jack Marvel (Marion, Mass.) scored the deciding marker to win the penalty shootout by a count of 3-2. 
 
Connecticut College (15-4) found itself with a flurry of scoring opportunities early on, with the first great one coming in the 7th minute. Center midfielder Steve Yeonas (McLean, Va.) passed wide right to an open Marvel on the right side of the box, but with pressure closing in, Marvel fired just high over the top of the net.
 
Minutes later, Rye Jaran (Downingtown, Pa.) would find himself in a similar position and also fire high. Soon thereafter, Yeonas would charge forward on the left side of the field and fire a low shot on the ground wide right of the net. 
 
Connecticut College would have several more chances in the first half to add to uts total of seven first-half shots, the most threatening coming in the 44th minute, Jake Creus (Rye, N.Y.) fired a hard shot towards the bottom left of the net, just to be saved by Salem State goalkeeper Matthew Hauntsman (Milford, N.H.). 
 
Despite the Camels dominating possession in the second half, and leading in nearly every statistical category in regulation, the game would head to overtime following a scoreless second half. 
 
In the first 10-minute overtime period, Connecticut College earned two free kicks but was unable to convert on either. Jaran directly struck the first one from about a yard outside the 18-yard box and fired high over the net. The second free kick was passed in from farther out but shut down by the Salem State defense. 
 
A second 10-minute overtime period saw both teams playing aggressively with the Camels creating threatening chances on offense, most notably off Marvel's speedy header that was set up on a corner kick. But once again, nobody was able to score, and the game would head to a shootout. 
 
Lucas Amarel for Salem State went first and was stuffed by recently substituted Connecticut College goalie Peter Silvester (Smiths Parish, Bermuda), who seemingly read his mind on the hard shot midair to the right of the net. First for Connecticut College would be Jaran, who also had his first shot saved to the left this time.
 
Kendy Price (Medford, Mass.) for Salem State stepped up and was able to convert on Salem State's second attempt, approaching the ball with a stutter step and firing a high shot into the right of the net. Yeonas for Connecticut College was next, and he matched by firing the ball into the top shelf for the score and the tie, 1-1.
 
Joao DeSouza (Lowell, Mass.) for Salem State was next unable to score, as Silvester made another great save, this time to his left. Next, Augie Djerdjaj (Mahopac, NY) for Connecticut College shot his ball towards the very bottom left corner of the net, but Hauntsman anticipated it, and made the save, to keep the tally at 1-1.
 
Dylan Senra (Dartmouth, Mass.) of Salem State next shot and also had his ball headed for the bottom left corner saved by Conn's Silvester. Senior captain Lorenzo Bocchetti (Wilmington, Del.) on his turn confidently struck his attempt into the bottom right corner for the score, and lead, 2-1.
 
George Zuleta (Lowell, Mss.) scored Salem State's next attempt to even things at 2-2, but Connecticut College's Marvel scored on his team's fifth attempt to win the penalty shootout by a score of 3-2 and send the home crowd to a frenzy. 

(Courtesy Connecticut College Sports Information)