Box Score
DALLAS - The Wilkes University men's soccer team's chances at an NCAA bid came to a gut-wrenching end with a 1-1 (5-4 penalty kicks) loss to top-seeded Misericordia in the championship game of the Freedom Conference Tournament. The victory gives the Cougars the right to represent the league in the national tournament for the first time in school history.
Neither team was able to score in the first half with the Colonels dominating on offense with six shots on goal, while holding Misericordia to just one. Wilkes was able to break the scoreless tie when
Sean Vona (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) converted a penalty kick just 35 seconds into the second half.
Misericordia's Cody Hack was issued a red card at the 71st minute and the Cougars played with a man down the rest of the way, but it didn't matter as Tim Bullis scored with just eight seconds to play in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
Both teams managed just one shot in both overtimes before forcing the game to penalty kicks.
In the shootout, Misericordia's Alex Park gave the Cougars a 1-0 advantage before
Doug Moore (Doylestown, Pa./New-Hope Solebury) answered for Wilkes to tie it at one. Wilkes goal keeper T.J. Baloga came up big with a stop, but Andrew Loyd matched his effort with a stop of his own.
Joey Scanlon made it 2-1 in favor of the Cougars, but
James Humenansky (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) quickly tied it with a goal past Loyd. MU's
Tyler Mensch and
Arthur Jankowski (Mountaintop, Pa./Crestwood) both converted their attempts to tie it at three.
Baloga made another stop, giving the Colonels a chance to win, but Vona was unable to put the ball in the back of the net as Loyd made a diving stop to force sudden death. In the sudden death period Cody Harman converted his attempt, but
Matt Sankey (Kreamer/Midd-West) kept the match alive for the Colonels with a goal.
Josh Yoo gave the Cougars a 5-4 advantage with a goal past Baloga, but the Colonels were unable to answer as Misericordia won its second-straight game in a shootout. The two teams played a week ago with the Cougars coming back from a 3-0 deficit to eventually win 4-3 in overtime. Wilkes finishes its season with a 10-7-3 overall record and a second-place regular season finish in the Freedom Conference.
