HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 14, 2010) – The No. 21 Muhlenberg College men's soccer team tallied the game-winner in the 107th minute to knock off 13th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, 2-1, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship on Sunday afternoon at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J. Sophomore Danny Way (Lancaster, Pa.) made a perfect pass to junior Josh Luginbuhl (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) who put his shot in the lower-left corner to send the Mules into the Sectional round of the tournament.
Stevens (15-2-3) controlled the run of play in the first half, outshooting the Mules, 12-2, and ending the opening 45 with a 5-0 edge in corner kicks.
Despite possessing the ball and controlling field position for most of the first, it was the Mules (13-2-6) who took the early lead thanks to a nice goal from Way in the 20th minute. Senior Mike Williams (East Windsor, N.J.) had the ball on the left side and crossed from the end line to Way who headed the ball past Stevens goalkeeper Zach Carr into the upper-right 90 for the score. It was Way's 13th goal of the season and third in the NCAA Tournament.
Less than two minutes later, the Ducks almost tied the game when senior Nolan Sandberg made a run on net and found himself one-on-one with senior keeper Jason Daniels (Delmar, N.Y.). Sandberg pulled the trigger but Daniels was able to make the save moving to his right.
After a flurry of substitutions late in the first half, the Ducks pulled even with 34 ticks remaining on the clock. Junior Zach Bowman won a loose ball deep in the Muhlenberg zone and sent a cross from the right corner to the near post. The ball eluded a Mule defender and sophomore Zach Adler was able to put a shot in the upper-right corner for the score.
Despite losing its lead late in the half, Muhlenberg came out strong in the second half and got the better of possession and field position.
After Daniels stopped a Bowman shot, Carr made the save of the match when sophomore Cody Antonini (Langhorne, Pa.) was able to possess a loose ball eight yards away from the from the goal on the right side of the box. Antonini ripped a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net but Carr was able to leap to his right and deflect the bid up and over the cross bar with his right hand, and the game remained tied at one.
Each team had several chances in the second half but did not convert. The Mules took four corners, compared to none for Stevens, but the Ducks held a 7-6 second-half shot advantage.
The Mules continued to press the Ducks in the first overtime, outshooting the host 3-1. Stevens had the only corner of the first OT but was unable to get a clean look on goal and the two teams had to go to a second extra period.
In the second OT, Muhlenberg outshot Stevens, 3-0, and with 3:21 to go before a shootout would have to decide the advancing team, Way found Luginbuhl for the game-winner. Moving to his left toward the center of the field with the ball, Way found a cutting Luginbuhl free at the top of the box. After one touch, the junior was able to tuck his shot in the lower-left for the game-winner.
Stevens ended the game with a 20-14 edge in shots and a 6-4 corner-kick advantage. Carr made four saves in the loss, while Daniels made six for Muhlenberg.
The loss was the first in the NCAA Tournament for the Ducks since 2005. Muhlenberg will take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy in next weekend's Sectional semifinal at a site to be determined.
