Box Score MANCHESTER, N.H. – Fifth-seeded LIU Post scored twice in the final 1:04 of regulation to force overtime, then topped top-seeded and sixth-ranked Southern New Hampshire University 6-5 in a penalty kick shootout to advance to the East Region final in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship. With the game officially a 2-2 draw, the Pioneers are 15-4-2, while the Penmen see their season come to a close at 17-1-2.
Southern New Hampshire, which scored twice in the game's first 20 minutes, appeared headed for advancement. With 1:04 remaining, Eivind Austboe knocked home a ball in a scramble in front of the net to get the Pioneers on the board. After the Penmen took possession following the goal, LIU Post was able to get the ball back, and Jason Lampkin scored with 20 seconds remaining after he knocked home a right-to-left cross from Per Forgaard.
After neither team found the back of the net in overtime, the game headed to a shootout. The Pioneers shot first, with Austboe giving the guests a 1-0 lead, as Jonathan Lupinelli's (Mont de Marsan, France) attempt was stopped by LIU Post keeper Jesper Malmstrom. Over the next two rounds, the Penmen took a 2-1 lead, as Dom DiMaggio (Rome, N.Y.) stopped back-to-back attempts and Sofiane Tergou (Bitche, France) and Gilbert Manier (Kigali, Rwanda) converted.
After both teams converted in the fourth round and Alex Billington tied the shootout 3-3 to start the fifth, Brian Grisell (Brookfield, Conn.) stepped up with the chance to advance SNHU, but Malmstrom came up with the save to keep the shootout going. The Pioneers led off each of the next three rounds with good chances, and clinched the victory when Callum Williams (Ossett, England) sent his attempt off the crossbar in the bottom half of the eighth round.
Southern New Hampshire scored two goals in a span of 7:29 early in the first half. In the 13th minute, Dominic Samuel (Toronto, Ontario) headed home a free kick that Lupinelli had sent to the far right post for his fifth goal of the season. Just past the 20-minute mark, Kenny Doublette (Port au Prince, Haiti) collected a rebound following a scramble in front of the Pioneer goal and put it home for his 15th goal of the season.
Malmstrom made 11 saves, while DiMaggio turned aside seven shots as LIU Post held a slight 21-19 shot advantage. The Penmen took six of the game's nine corner kicks.
Southern New Hampshire, the 2013 Division II national champions, had been seeking to become the first team to repeat since Southern Connecticut in 1999. This year's senior class finishes as the winningest class in the storied history of Penmen soccer, finishing with a 76-10-3 (.871) record, last year's national championship, and three Northeast-10 tournament titles.
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