Hoboken, N.J. – MAC Freedom Tournament Most Valuable Player
Adam Berrocal scored the first goal of the match and assisted on the eventual winner as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team won its fourth straight conference tournament championship, 2-1, over DeSales Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens (11-3-4) went on the offensive right away,
Emerico Vespucci forcing a save by DeSales goalkeeper Jimmy Shensky in the opening 20 seconds.
In the 12
th minute, Berrocal and
Ben Goldberg worked a give-and-go to perfection as Goldberg slid a through ball between DeSales defenders to a cutting Berrocal, who blasted a left-footed strike past Shensky for a 1-0 Stevens lead.
As was the case in the regular season, when Stevens quickly equalized after going down 1-0, DeSales (12-5-3) flipped the script Saturday night, equalizing on a header from Liam MacDonald off a free kick less than two minutes later.
Stevens immediately set out on a mission to regain the lead.
Luca Campbell had two off-target attempts in the 16
th and 19
th minute, then had a 34
th minute effort deflect off the right post, which deflected back into the 18-yard-box, with both Campbell and
Omar Martinez getting attempts on net before DeSales finally cleared. In all, the Ducks recorded eight shots over the final half-hour, forcing four saves from Shensky, but were unable to jump back in front.
MacDonald, meanwhile, nearly put DeSales on top in the 31
st with another header, but Stevens' goalkeeper
Guillermo Castaneda-Chang went airborne and finger-tipped the attempt over the crossbar, with the score holding at 1-1 at the half.
In the 52
nd minute, Berrocal delivered a free kick from the right about 40 yards out to the left side of the six-yard box where
Terry Thompson rainbowed a header back toward the right side of the goal. The ball landed low on the inside of the right crossbar, redirecting just over the goal line, putting the Ducks back on top.
Goldberg nearly doubled the lead with a highlight-reel volley off a cross from
Ethan Hagen in the 55
th, but the attempt bounced just wide.
Vespucci had a pair of good looks between the 60 and 70
th minute, one off a corner that was blocked and one from the top of the 18-yard box that Shensky denied for his seventh save of the night.
In the 79
th minute, Berrocal's bid for his second assist and Thompson's bid for his second goal was denied by Shensky, who got a hand on Thompson's low header off a corner.
DeSales found their way to the outskirts of the 18-yard box several times down the stretch, but mustered a lone off-target attempt in the closing seconds as the Ducks closed out a fourth straight conference title.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stevens has now won its last nine MAC Freedom Tournament matches.
- The Red and Gray have now allowed 0 or 1 goals in 43 of 47 MAC Freedom regular season and post-season matches since joining for 2019 season.
- Stevens became just the sixth MAC Freedom/Freedom Conference regular season champion to claim the conference tournament title since 2007.
FROM THE FIELD
"Incredible final … was an amazing crowd to watch our a group of seniors cap off their careers winning the MAC title at home - Desales are a very well coached side and made it extremely difficult for us during the game - credit to the intensity that they brought … I was so proud of our group and the level they brought today … excited that we get to spend another week together as we prep for the NCAA tournament." -- Head Coach
Dale Jordan
UP NEXT
Stevens will be in the NCAA Tournament and will know who they face after the selection show on Monday at 1:30. Time, opponent, location, and date are TBD. Links for live stats and live video will be posted to stevensducks.com as they are made available.
