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Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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schedule

Men's Soccer Celebration-WPI Men's Soccer 2023
Jonah Carter '27
Men's Soccer Goal Celebration
1
Stevens STEVENS (11-2-6)
1
WPI WPI (9-3-8)
Stevens STEVENS
(11-2-6)
1
Final
1
WPI WPI
(9-3-8)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Stevens STEVENS 1 0 0 0 1
WPI WPI 1 0 0 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Men’s Soccer Ties Stevens 1-1 in NCAA Tournament Opener but Ducks Advance in PKs

WORCESTER -- For the second-straight game, the WPI men's soccer team went to penalty kicks, but this time Stevens (NJ) was able to get the best of the Engineers as WPI fell to the Ducks in the NCAA First Round on Saturday afternoon after 110 minutes of action and four rounds of kicks. 
 
The Engineers and Ducks finished regulation and double overtime tied at one apiece but WPI was only able to convert on one of three penalty kicks as Stevens converted on all four of its attempts and advanced in the NCAA Tournament by a 4-1 count. 
 
WPI finishes its season 9-3-8 and ends the year on a 13-game unbeaten streak (8-0-5), despite the penalty kick defeat. The Engineers returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and for the third time under the tutelage of head coach Brian Kelley. 
 
Stevens (11-2-6) will move on to face No. 13 Amherst in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 pm at H. Carr Field and brings its 11-game unbeaten streak (8-0-3) into the matchup. The Ducks, who advanced to the National Semifinals last season, earned a pair of PK victories during their tournament run. 
 
Stevens outshot the Engineers on the day 22-16, however, WPI made the most of their shot attempts with one-half of them coming on goal (8) to Stevens' three. 
 
Stevens got on the board first in the ninth minute of action when Fritz Kabeiseman (Portland, OR) netted just his second goal of the season, and second in as many games, to make it a 1-0 game in favor of the Ducks. Luca Campbell (Montclair, NJ) set up from 30 yards out on the right side of the field and sent a looping pass the found the left foot of Kabeiseman who blooped a shot over the WPI goalie for the score and 1-0 lead. 
 
But WPI would even the score before the end of the first half, taking advantage of a corner kick opportunity to even the score at halftime. Tora Ito (Hopkington, MA) set up the corner kick opportunity, crossing a shot to the center of the box where a cluster of Engineers awaited the pass. Evan Haas (Concord, NH) elevated higher than any other player and flicked a header that beat a Stevens defender in the 43rd minute for the equalizer. 
 
Both teams had a handful of chances in the second half, but the defenses and goalkeepers came up big. In the final minute and a half, Stevens took a trio of shots, the final, with 25 seconds left in regulation went off the crossbar as WPI goalie Ryan Martin (Douglas, MA) made the save to force the OT period, his second, and most important, save of the day. 
 
WPI went to extra time for the second-straight game as the NEWMAC Championship went to PKs on November 4th with the Engineers prevailing. Between the two teams, they entered today's game finishing regulation in a tie 12 times in the 2023 season (WPI 7, Stevens 5). 
 
Both teams got off a pair of shots in the first OT period with Jameson Railey (Rochester, NY) and Kabeiseman having their shots blocked for Stevens while Francesco Valagussa (Arlington, MA) had a shot blocked and his second attempt saved for the Engineers. Valagussa took the ball the length of the field battling the entire way but his shot, on goal, rolled right at Stevens' goalie Justin Cross (Kendall Park, NJ) to keep things even. 
 
The WPI defense staved off a few tries midway through the second overtime period as Andrew Kovacs (Hopkington, MA) made a solid stop for WPI and the defense cleared away a free kick from 30 yards out forcing a wide shot from Stevens. A laser shot taken by Adam Berrocal (Manville, NJ), was immediately deflected from Brady Burch (South Deerfield, MA) who put his body on the line to make the deflection and keep things even to help force PKs. 
 
Martin finished the outing with two saves in 110 minutes of action while Cross was forced to make seven saves on the day for the Ducks. 
 
 
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