ROCK HILL, S.C. – Victor Peres (Brasilia, Brazil) scored a goal and assisted on another while goalkeeper
Pedro Ozi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) turned in a clutch performance in the penalty-kick shootout to help the Railsplitters (11-6-1) advance past the Brevard Tornados (8-8-2) and into the title match of the South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Championship on Friday night in Rock Hill, S.C.
Lincoln Memorial and Brevard played to a 2-2 draw through 90 minutes of regulation and nothing was decided after two 10-minute overtime periods, but the Railsplitters blanked the Tornados 3-0 in the penalty-kick shootout to advance to the SAC tournament championship game for the third time ever and the first time since 2012.
The Railsplitters will face the winner of No. 2 Tusculum and No. 6 Coker at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Peres played a key role in sending the Railsplitters into overtime and the eventual PK shootout, but it was Ozi that ensured that Lincoln Memorial would be playing in Sunday's championship match. The 6-5 Ozi, who had made only one appearance and played a hair over 11 minutes total this season prior to Friday night's match, was called on in relief of
August Ahlin (Stockholm, Sweden) for penalty kicks.
After sitting for 110 minutes and without an appearance to his credit since September 14, Ozi saved two penalty-kick attempts, while
Henrique Rezek (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil),
Andrea Cattaneo (Milan, Italy) and
Philip Wong (Hong Kong, China) converted their attempts in succession to send the Railsplitters to Sunday's final.
The preceding 110 minutes equaled the penalty-kick shootout in the drama it provided, as the Railsplitters took the lead on two different occasions before watching Brevard tie it both times.
A long feed up the left sideline from
Mats Rohrken (Neukirchen, Germany) opened up the Railsplitters' first goal-scoring opportunity, as it sprung Wong into open space in the attacking third. Wong made a quick pass to Rezek, who flicked the ball back to his right for Peres. Peres then chipped the ball over the pursuing Brevard defender to put Rezek in a one-on-one with the keeper. Rezek won that battle with a blast from 10 yards out, notching his second goal of the season a shade under 31 minutes into the first half.
The Railsplitters outshot the Tornados 11-7 in the first half and carried that 1-0 lead into the break. However, Brevard tallied the equalizer a little over seven minutes into the second half.
A long throw in down the right sideline that skipped through the LMU defense provided the scoring chance Brevard needed in the 53rd minute. Ryan McPhillips carried the ball down the right side and into the box, where he flicked it back to middle for Gabriel Garcia. Garcia then found Brock Tuttle all by himself on the left side, and Tuttle potted the equalizer into the lower left-hand corner of the net, just out of the reach of Ahlin.
Just minutes later, the Railsplitters jumped back on top. The 59th-minute goal was initiated by a long feed from
Ronaldo de Jesus (Campinas, Brazil), which quickly put Lincoln Memorial on the attack.
Felipe Machado (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) received a headed ball from
George Burne (Carlisle, England) and dropped it back to the middle for
Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil), who turned a corner around his defender and ripped a shot on goal. Brevard keeper Heath Turner deflected that attempt, but the rebound bounced directly to Peres, who knocked it in the empty net to put LMU ahead 2-1.
The Tornados drew the match back even again in the 70th minute on a free kick from Garcia from nearly 30 yards out. Garcia's kick was initially deflected by Ahlin, but the ball slipped through his hands and landed just inside the goal line to knot the match at 2-2.
Lincoln Memorial was fortunate to make it to overtime as Brevard had the Railsplitters on their heels at the end of regulation. In the 85th minute, Gabriel Pastrana missed a golden opportunity to give the Tornados the lead, but his point-blank shot on an empty net sailed over the crossbar. A little over a minute and a half later, Garcia ripped a right-footed shot on goal that Ahlin saved with a diving effort.
The two teams combined for only three shots in the first overtime, with LMU notching the lone shot on goal. The second overtime featured significantly more action, with the Railsplitters and Tornados piling up six shot attempts. Ahlin was forced to make three saves over that 10-minute stretch, including one with 13 seconds left to send the game to penalty kicks.
Lincoln Memorial outshot Brevard 26-21 with a narrow 12-10 edge in shots on goal. However, from the start of the second half until the conclusion, LMU and Brevard registered 14 shots apiece.
The Railsplitters are heading to the SAC Championship title game for the third time since 2007 and the first time since 2012. Lincoln Memorial is 1-1 all-time in the championship match, with a win in 2007 and a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in 2012.
The Railsplitters are set to square off against the winner of No. 2 Tusculum and No. 6 Coker at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. Live stats and video will be available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.
