Waltham, Mass. — After a thrilling Northeast 10 quarterfinal win at home over Southern Connecticut State, head coach Gary Book and the Adelphi men's soccer team traveled up to Massachusetts for a date with No. 1 seed Bentley in the semifinal.
Immediately off the opening kickoff, the Panthers put pressure on the Falcons. Just three minutes in, they earned a free kick, a corner kick, and registered two shots from Stephen Betz and Agustin Soldo.
Bentley responded by moving the ball down the field with a series of throw-ins, but Adelphi quickly gained possession and went on the attack. A Ryan Holt chance was saved by Bentley's Goalkeeper of the Year, Cam Hall, but the Brown and Gold kept pushing on.
Adelphi tallied seven shots, three on goal, before the top-seeded Falcons could even get one.
Bentley had its best chance in the 34th minute, but Andrea Farinella made a save to keep the game even.
For the next 10 minutes, the Panthers had more chances from Joseph Blackton, Zain Sutterwalla, and Richard DeBrosse, but none could convert as the game went into halftime scoreless.
Coming out of the break, Adelphi kept its offensive intensity, recording the first shot of the period. Unlike the first half, Bentley began to find its offensive footing early in the second as both sides went back and forth in the opening minutes.
In the 52nd minute, the Falcons finally had an opening and capitalized, taking a 1-0 lead with still over 30 minutes to play.
The deficit did not deter the Panthers, as Agustin Soldo responded with three shots in the next three minutes. The quick rush suddenly flipped a switch, and the Panthers were off and running again.
Minutes after his flurry of chances, Soldo finally came through. In the 63rd minute, a throw-in went to Sam Nolan. The All-NE10 selection took a few dribbles before sending a perfect cross to the foot of Soldo, who finished for the tying goal.
Just as Adelphi had done after conceding, Bentley went right on the attack. With the ball in their end for most of the remaining 25 minutes, the Panthers did not record another shot for the rest of the half, but the defense held strong. The Adelphi backline did not allow any true chances for Bentley, and the game headed into overtime tied at one.
The two overtime periods were mostly uneventful, as both teams sat back and planned to counterattack if needed. Only three shots were recorded, all blocked by Adelphi.
Just like last season, the fate of both Adelphi and Bentley's conference championship hopes hinged on penalty kicks.
Bentley converted the first try of the afternoon, and Alessio Consoli buried his attempt. Andrea Farinella made a huge save on the Falcons' second kick, but Stephen Betz's shot sailed high, and Bentley was back in the driver's seat. Northeast 10 Player of the Year Michael Haikal scored for Bentley before Cam Hall made a clutch save to give Bentley the advantage. Richard DeBrosse converted on his kick, and although Farinella dove the right way on Bentley's fifth try, it went past him to send the Falcons to the final.
Book and the Panthers will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 7 p.m.
