HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 7, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team was a penalty kick away from elimination, but survived in dramatic fashion to advance to the Empire 8 Conference championship match after besting Alfred University 6-5 in a penalty shootout.
 
The match goes down as a tie, moving Stevens' record to 12-3-2 while Alfred finishes at 9-7-3.
 
The Ducks controlled the ball for the entirety of the first half, outshooting the Saxons 6-0. Stevens' best chance in the first 45 minutes came in the 18^th minute when a header from junior Carson Pryor sailed above the crossbar.
 
In the 38^th minute, Alfred's freshman goalie Chris Gutierrez made a diving save on junior Joe Celetti's touch off a set piece to keep the game deadlocked.
 
Despite outshooting Alfred 6-0 in the first half, the Ducks went into the break without a score.
 
The Ducks came out of the break strong with shots in the 58^th and 64^th minutes, but the first sailed wide before Alfred made the save on the second.
 
Alfred managed some offense with a shot in the 86^th minute, but sophomore keeper Mike Renna made the save to keep the match tied. The Ducks were able to find the back of the net towards the end of regulation, but an offside call erased the goal as the game went into overtime.
 
Scoring chances were limited in extra time as the Saxons moved to a six-man back line, and Stevens' four shots in the two ten-minute periods came up empty.
 
In the penalty shootout, both the Ducks and the Saxons converted their first three attempts before a Gutierrez save left the Ducks' postseason fate in Renna's hands. The sophomore answered, saving the would-be game winner. In the seventh line of the shootout, Renna came through again with a save, sending the Ducks to the conference championship for the eight straight season.
 
Renna made one save in the shutout while senior Quinn Conner's shootout goal was the difference.
 
With a win from Ithaca College in the second semifinal game, the finals matchup is set for a 3 p.m. match in Hoboken. Stevens beat Ithaca in their meeting earlier this season 1-0.
 
Check stevensducks.com tomorrow for links to live stats and stream.
 
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