Greenville Edges Fontbonne in Shootout; Panthers Capture Second Tournament Championship
GREENVILLE, Ill. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament crown belongs to the Greenville College men's soccer team (15-5-2) for the second time in three years after a 2-2 double overtime thriller ending in a 7-6 tiebreaking shootout against Fontbonne University.
Greenville controlled the home pitch as they clashed against Fontbonne Saturday, playing behind a large crowd of Panther supporters. Junior David Dunlop and sophomore Cobi Allen both posted goals in the match, equaling the two scores netted by Fontbonne, and forcing a 2-2 overtime session.
In overtime, defense proved excellent for both squads. After two scoreless periods of overtime play, and with no real legitimate shots on goal attempted by either side, a season's worth of effort for both teams came down to the execution of the shootout.
The Panthers began the shootout with junior Nathan Mayberry netting his goal past the Griffin keeper. Fontbonne answered with a passing shot that scored opposite net of Greenville's junior keeper Nathan Haas. Fontbonne and Greenville would split the next two penalty kick opportunities, setting up a 3-3 deadlock through six total attempts. In their fourth team shot, Greenville came up short as the Fontbonne keeper made the save. Capitalizing on the Panther miscue, the Griffins connected on their next attempt, forcing a sudden death scenario.
With the match on the line, Haas came up big with a diving save to keep Greenville's post-season hopes alive. Greenville and Fontbonne would split the next two sudden death attempts moving into each team's eighth shot. Greenville's Dan Ringkamp buried his attempt into the upper-90, netting the decisive goal to put Haas in prime position to close the game with a save. With all eyes on the starting keeper, Haas again choiced a diving save and deflected the Fontbonne attempt, closing out the overtime match and clinching the SLIAC title.
"You honestly can't say enough about the guys on this team," said senior defenseman and captain Chris Allen. "We have put in the time and effort all year, and for all the fans, coaches, and players, we know how much this win means."
Greenville will look to continue their regular season and post-season success as they gear up for the 2010 NCAA Division III tournament, which will be announced on Monday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. This presentation will declare the site and opponent for the Panthers, and will take place at www.ncaa.com.
Courtesy Greenville College sports information
