The Dickinson men's soccer team struck twice on Saturday night to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, at Miller Memorial Field. The Red Devils posted a 2-0 shutout against Susquehanna to set the stage for a rematch of the Centennial Conference Championship. Franklin & Marshall advanced with a 1-0 win over Catholic University.
Senior Javier Mena (San Salvador, El Salvador/The American School) assisted both goals, becoming the all-time career assist leader at Dickinson. Mena broke the mark with the 22nd of his career, serving a beautiful ball into the box and to the foot of classmate Chris Shultz (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) in the 50th minute.
The Crusaders held the advantage on paper, outshooting the Devils, 14-11 while holding a 4-1 edge in corners.
Matt Salsman made three saves in the nets for Susquehanna. First-year Jeremy Palcan (Park Ridge, Ill./St. Ignatius Prep) made seven saves to earn the shutout.
A Devon Malfitano goal with just 2:47 remaining on the clock broke a scoreless tie and handed the Franklin & Marshall men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Catholic on Saturday evening in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the first win in the tournament for the Diplomats since 1981.
F&M improved to 15-3-2 on the season and will square off in the NCAA Second Round against the host Dickinson tomorrow at 5:00 p.m., while Catholic's season ends with a 12-6-2 mark. Earlier in the day, the Red Devils took down Susquehanna by a 2-0 score to advance to the round of 32.
With the contest knotted at 0-0 in the 87th minute, a Ryan O'Connell corner from the left side of the field found the foot of Devon Malfitano in the box. The ball made its way to the Catholic goalkeeper, who was unable to keep it out of the net as the Diplomats went up by one with only minutes remaining.
T.J. White (13-3) earned the victory after turning back the only shot he faced. The Diplomats led in shots at 11-5 and dominated on corners with an 8-2 advantage.
F&M looks to advance into the round of 16 for the first time in the history of the program when the Diplomats meet Dickinson for the third time this season. F&M holds a 2-0 edge over the Red Devils in 2013 that includes a 4-0 win at home on Oct. 26 and a 2-1 2OT victory in the Centennial Conference (CC) Championship game on Nov. 10.