The men's soccer team advanced to the NCCAA National Tournament after defeating Mt. Vernon Nazarene in penalty kicks.
The Raiders traveled to Mt. Vernon Nazarene to take on the #1 seed in the east regional tournament. The Raiders took a 1-0 lead after senior Shawn Roberts (Brockport, NY) scored on a penalty kick in the 25th minute. The Raiders would add to the lead in the 57th minute as senior Jake Schindler (Irondequoit HS) scored on a direct kick to go up 2-0. However, Mt. Vernon did not back down as they scored two goals in a 6 minute span to tie it up and send the game into overtime. Mt. Vernon had the better of the play out-shooting the Raiders 6-1 through the two overtime periods.
With the game tied at 2-2 the teams prepared for a shoot-out with the winner advancing to the national tournament in Kissimee, FL. Shawn Roberts, Craig Bamber, Dominic Coco, and Brandon Conley all scored to stay even with Mt. Vernon through the first four shots. Mt. Vernon would look to stay alive but Kemar Jackson shot his penalty kick wide opening the door for the Raiders to advance. Sophomore Donovan Wilson stepped up and converted his penalty kick to send the Raiders back to NCCAA National Tournament.
The Raiders will enter the national tournament as the #7 seed and face Judson University, IL in the first round of the national tournament. The first round game is scheduled for December 1 at 12:00pm. The Raiders are currently 9-9-3.
