MANCHESTER, N.H. – No. 8 C.W. Post put forth an outstanding effort, but came up short in the second round of the NCAA East Regional as they were defeated by the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon on Larkin Field.
At 17-3-1, the Pioneers end the season with the winningest record in program history. SNHU improves to 18-3-0 and advances to face top-seeded Franklin Pierce in next Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal matchup in Rindge, N.H.
An evenly matched affair from the get-go, much of the first half was spent with the teams battling for possession in the midfield. However, the Penmen were able to manage a bit more offensively than the Pioneers in the first half.
Chris Tsonis put the Penmen on top in the 33rd minute as
sophomore goalkeeper Marco Jorgensen (Copenhagen, Denmark) stopped
Jordan Branco's first shot, but the rebound careened right to
Tsonis, who put it in the back of the net.
At the half, SNHU held a 10-3 edge in shots.
The Pioneers were relentless and applied much more pressure on the offensive end in the second half, at one point forcing three straight corners.
Perhaps the best chance of the game came when Eivind Austobe (Stavanger, Norway) intercepted a SNHU pass past midfield, and sent a thru ball to Cemil Turan (Staten Island, N.Y.). Turan dribbled up and took a laser shot, but it was just wide right of the goal.
With only 55 seconds remaining in the game, Branco came up with a one-on-one chance in the box. His first shot was an excellent save by Jorgensen, but the rebound bounced up and Branco headed the ball in for the all-important insurance goal.
The shot differential improved in favor of the Pioneers in the second half, as CWP owned a 10-8 advantage in the second stanza. For the game, SNHU held an 18-13 advantage.
Jorgensen played a solid game in goal, making six saves. SNHU counterpart Jon Mayo made one save for the Penmen.
Provided by the C.W. Post Sports Information Department
