LANGHORNE Pa. – The No. 2 seed Cairn University men's soccer advanced to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) championship game for the second consecutive season following a double-overtime tally by sophomore
Jesse Brittain (Chester, PA / The Christian Academy) in the 101
st minute, which led to a 1-0 triumph over No. 3 seed Keystone College in the CSAC semifinals on Thursday evening.
"We understand the privilege it is to play in November." remarked Head Coach
Luke Gibson.
"Anytime we get an opportunity to play in a conference championship game is something we relish. Today, I was proud of the way the guys battled against a very good Keystone team. The double-overtime goal itself was an excellent finish by Jesse, but it came from a fantastic movement and ball from senior David Falcon (Wayne, NJ / Hawthorne Christian)."
Cairn (9-5-5) had the majority of the offensive pressure early in the bout, firing off five shots on goal in the first half as the Giants (7-9-2) battled to a scoreless draw at intermission. Cairn tried to break through in the second half, when Falcon got a good look in the 81
st minute, followed by a clean shot in the 82
nd minute by fifth-year
Micah Portis (Abington, PA / Abington HS), but neither attempt found the back of the net, sending the game to extra time. After neither team got on the score sheet after the first overtime period, Cairn wasted little time in the second overtime frame, when Falcon created some space past midfield and dribbled into the slot. Falcon then dished the ball off to Brittain, who hesitated and fired a right-footed rocket past the Keystone keeper's outstretched arms to give Cairn a 1-0 lead. The Highlanders held that advantage for the duration of the second overtime stanza to advance to the conference championship game for the second-straight year.
Cairn out shot Keystone in the contest (26-14) and held a narrow edge in shots on goals (10-9). The Highlanders dominated the corner kick output (10-1) in the contest. Falcon paced the offensive effort with eight shots, while Brittain and Portis followed with six shots a-piece. Fifth-year net minder
Kameron Clark (Ewing, NJ / Ewing) posted his sixth shutout of the season, playing all 110 minutes between the pipes.
Thursday's semifinal victory sets up a conference championship rematch one year in the making against top-seeded Rosemont College (9-2-5) on Saturday, November 5. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Rosemont.
