DANBURY, Conn. - After finishing the second overtime deadlocked at 0-0, the 21st-ranked and top-seeded Western Connecticut State University men's soccer team fell to second-seeded UMass Boston in penalty kicks, 4-2, in the Little East Conference Championship game on Saturday night at the Westside Athletic Complex.
The Wolves now move to 20-0-2Â overall. With the win, the Beacons moved to 10-5-4 and claimed the LEC crown and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. WestConn will now play the waiting game to see if they receive an at-large bid.
The hosts held the advantage in shots for the game, 18-11, and pushed the tempo most of the night.Â
WestConn began the first half with a flurry of shots. Senior midfielder
Payton Blynn (New Milford, Conn.) got the best chance to score but his shot was fired off the post at 15:54.
The Wolves had another opportunity but could not capitalize in the second half when rookie forward Eric Lorent (Shelton, Conn.) had a penalty kick attempt thwarted.Â
Both teams played solid defense in the two overtime sessions as neither team had a high quality scoring chance.
It came down to the penalty kick shootout to decide who would be crowned LEC Champions. WestConn rookie goalkeeper
Zachary Benson (Milford, Conn.) played 110 minutes and recorded a pair of saves before sophomore netminder
Matthew Silva (Danbury, Conn.) came on to defend the Wolves twine for the PK attempts. Silva began the session with a spectacular diving stop to his left.
Senior forward
Franz Muhaj (Bridgeport, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder
Kadin Talho (Waterbury, Conn.) each ripped high shots just underneath the crossbar, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead. However, the Beacons then converted their final three attempts, while WestConn was stopped on their third and fourth attempts, setting the final at 4-2.
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