Bridgeport, Conn. - Sean Dougherty drilled home the game-winner
in the opening minutes of first overtime to defeat the University
of Bridgeport, 2-1, giving the Golden Lions their first East Coast
Conference Championship title since 2007.
The No. 10 Golden Lions, who earned the top seed in the ECC
playoffs after finishing the regular season with an undefeated
5-0-2 conference record, advanced to the championship final by
defeating C.W. Post University in a shootout this past Friday at
Golden Lions Field. They then hit the road on Sunday to face
the Purple Knights who defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College in the
ECC semifinals.
The two teams started off the match with a scoreless first half and
even in shots with 5 apiece. Bridgeport fired two shots on target,
but Chris Kucera held strong in the net and turned them away to
keep the score at 0-0.
The second half opened up with Markus Naglestad breaking away from
the pack in the 52nd minute and launching a shot past Kucera to
give the Purple Knights a 1-0 advantage. The minutes were
winding down for the Golden Lions but Bridgeport held the lead due
to some missed chances by Dowling. With less than five
minutes to go in regulation, Bridgeport was called for a handball
in the box, setting the stage for a penalty kick and a Dowling
comeback. This time the Golden Lions took advantage of their
golden opportunity as Stefan Draskovic fired the ball into the
upper left corner and out of the reach of the keeper to even the
score.
Overtime didn't last long as just two minutes in, Draskovic fed the
ball to Dougherty who faked the keeper and then hit the back of the
net to give them the 2-1 victory and the ECC Championship
trophy. For his performance, Dougherty would earn ECC
Tournament MVP honors.
Dowling, ranked No. 1 in the east region by the NCAA, now awaits
word on selection into the NCAA Division II Tournament. Selections
will be announced this Monday night.
Provided by the Dowling Sports Information Department.
