The Berkeley College men's soccer team picked up a pair of victories in the USCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Tournament, defeating the University of Cincinnati-Clermont in penalty kicks, and Penn State Brandywine, 2-0, before losing to Johnson & Wales-Charlotte in the championship match in penalty kicks. With that output, the Knights wrapped up their season at 17-4.
In Berkeley College's come-from-behind victory on Friday against the No. 6 seeded Cougars of the University of Cincinnati-Clermont, the Knights allowed a rare early goal, as Issa Doumbia registered an unassisted tally just 8:35 in to put his team up 1-0. That would be the lone goal scored on what was mostly a defensively-dominated opening session, with the teams combining for just 10 shots (Cougars with six, Knights with four).
The Knights would net the equalizer in the 58th minute (57:12), as USCAA Second-Team All-American Lucas Zuleta slipped a pass over to Eddie Becirovic, who then slashed the ball home to tie the match at a goal apiece.
Over the ensuing 32:48, and consecutive 10-minute overtime sessions, neither team was able to score again, sending the pivotal contest to penalty ticks.
The Knights, who 12 days earlier outlasted Five Towns College in penalty kicks to capture the HVIAC crown, did it again, as all four shooters for Berkeley scored on their opportunities, including Suad Lukovic, Alan Martinez, Esteban Pedrueza, and Maximus Betancourt. For the University of Cincinnati-Clermont, Jakob West and Jonathan Jimenez scored, but Alex McAfee and Dylan Withers' shots were stopped by Berkeley netminder Victor Batista
In the thrilling victory for Berkeley, Batista allowed just one goal in 110 minutes of action while making six saves. He also collected a pair of stops during the penalty kick stage. His counterpart, Andrew Swaisgood, yielded one goal and collected nine saves in 110 minutes logged, but he wasn't able to halt any of the Knights' four penalty kicks.
The following day, Penn State Brandywine, the other team in the pool and the No. 3 overall seed, defeated the Cougars by a score of 1-0. That eliminated the University of Cincinnati-Clermont, and ensured that the Sunday afternoon match between the Knights and Nittany Lions was for an opportunity to advance to the USCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship game.
In Sunday's game between Berkeley and Penn State Brandywine, the Knights controlled the match from start to finish. Berkeley's first goal came courtesy of Pedrueza, an unassisted tally in the 43rd minute (42:58) that put his team up 1-0. The Knights added an insurance goal at 72:56 when Marco DaSilva scored to pad Berkeley's lead. At that juncture, the Knights held a 2-0 lead, and would not relinquish it, advancing to the National title game for the second consecutive year.
Batista made five saves in the win for Berkeley, as the Knights out-shot Penn State Brandywine by a count of 16-11 for the afternoon. Nittany Lions netminder Elijah DeBooth registered eight saves despite allowing the two Knights goals.
In the championship match against Johnson & Wales-Charlotte, neither team was able to score in regulation or either overtime period, so the contest would be decided in penalty kicks.
Berkeley made their first three kicks, with Lukovic, Alan Martinez, and Pedrueza all scoring. For the Wildcats, Tyler Morgan and Lucas Lesh converted on their kicks, but Eugenio de la Parra Polina kicked the ball way above the crossbar on the Wildcats' third attempt, missing it badly. In the fourth round of the kicks, the Wildcats converted on their kick, while the Knights missed theirs.
In the final round of kicks, Andrew Fanelli scored for Johnson & Wales-Charlotte, and Ian Pallardel's attempt at an equalizer was saved by Colin Starr, ending the game and giving the Wildcats the championship.
Despite the loss for Berkeley, Batista made 10 saves in 110 minutes of regulation and overtime combined, and Alan Martinez made a huge save in the overtime session to keep the game scoreless.
Although the season didn't end with the Knights accomplishing their ultimate goal, there was still plenty for Berkeley College to be proud of this season. The Knights not only recorded double digit victories, but the team also won the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the second consecutive year. Also, Berkeley qualified for its fourth straight appearance in the USCAA Division II National Men's Soccer Tournament, and fifth overall as a program, appearing in its second straight National title game. Finally, the team earned eight USCAA Division II awards, including five Academic All-American distinctions, two First Team All-American honors, and one Second Team All-American.
