Courtesy F&M Athletics
No. 15 Franklin & Marshall claimed its first-ever Centennial Conference (CC) men's soccer title with a thrilling 2-1 2OT victory over Dickinson on Sunday in Haverford, Pa. The win is the Diplomats (14-3-2) fifth-straight and handed F&M the CC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, while the Red Devils fell to 14-5-1.
The Diplomats must now wait for tomorrow's release of the NCAA brackets to determine their placement in the tournament while Dickinson awaits its postseason fate. The selection show kicks off at 1:00 p.m. and can be viewed here.
The win marked the program's third overall conference championship and first since capturing the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) title back in 1952. F&M has never won the CC, but all of that changed with just minutes left in the second overtime.
Tied at 1-1 with only 1:29 remaining on the clock, Ryan O'Connell lined up for a corner opportunity on the left side of the field.
The senior midfielder sent a low ball into the box and found the foot of Chris Scott, who deflected the opportunity to right of Dickinson's goalkeeper and into the back of the net for the game winner.
An own goal in the 27th minute gave the Diplomats an early lead. F&M led in shots 7-5 in the opening frame and entered halftime with a 1-0 advantage. GoalkeeperT.J. White turned back a pair of shots in the first to keep his team ahead after 45 minutes of action.
The Diplomats came out firing in the second with a pair of opportunities in the early minutes but ultimately could not build on their lead. The Red Devils took advantage in the 79th minute when a Dickinson throw in led to a header from Danny Sheppard that found the back of the net and tied the contest at 1-1.
Dickinson had a chance to win the match with just seconds left in regulation, but White was there for the game-preserving save.
Both goalkeepers came up with a stop in the first overtime to keep the score knotted, forcing a second overtime frame. Neither team generated much offense in the second before the corner by O'Connell in the 108th minute led to the game winner.
White (12-3) was a force between the pipes and earned the win after registering four saves on the day. His counterpart, Jeremy Palcan (4-2-1) was handed the loss after turning back one shot.
F&M outshot Dickinson 15-12, while the Red Devils held the 5-4 edge in corners.Sam Lane led the way with three shots while O'Connell, Jared Bomba, Max Watsonand Scott all picked up two apiece.
For his efforts over the span of two games, Devon Malfitano was named the CC Tournament MVP.