Bloomfield, NJ…The men's soccer team played to a 2-2 tie with Post University and clinched a playoff birth for the first time in over five years. The Deacons finish the regular season with an overall record of 3-11-3 and a 2-4-3 record in the CACC. Post finished the regular season at 4-13-1 overall and 3-5-1 in the CACC.
The Deacons struck first at 10:35, when Luis Perez gathered a rebound in the box off an Adrian Lagos shot and flicked a back-footed shot past Eagles keeper Marco Gasper. Then just seven minutes later (17:38) Lagos gave BC a 2-0 lead on a great single handed effort. Lagos stole the ball at mid-field then walked in through the defense for an unassisted goal. The goal was Lagos' sixth of the year and third in the last two games.
The Deacons seemed to have everything under control early on, but Post would not go down quietly. The Eagles cut the lead in half at 28:04 when Eurica Trowers scored on a shot from inside the box off a pass from Andrew Nelson. BC managed to hold on to its one goal lead heading into half time, as the Deacons out shot Post 16-6 but managed only six shots on goal.
In the second half, as the game pressed on the rain began to fall harder and harder. A steady down poor slowed up the pace of the game but did not result in sloppy play. The Deacons continued to cling to their one goal lead until 79:34 when Johan Pineda out leaped Julian Gaviria in the box and headed the ball over BC's keeper and into the net tying the game at 2-2.
Post had a golden opportunity to take the lead late in the game when Gaviria was called for a handball in the box and set up an indirect kick for the Eagles, but Post could not capitalize and the game would remain tied at the end of regulation as the teams headed into overtime.
In the fist overtime the Deacons held Post without a shot but could only manage two shots of their own, neither of which was on goal. In the second OT, after a BC foul, Post had another opportunity to put the game away on a free kick, but Abby Walker's wide open header sailed over the cross bar. The header would be the only shot by either team in the final stanza, as time expired and the Deacons clinched their first CACC playoff birth in school history.
For the match the Deacons out shot Post 26-15 but Post stayed even with 10 shots on goal. Both Gaviria and Gasper made eight saves in net and Post held a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.
The 1st round of the CACC Playoffs will be on Monday October 29. BC will travel to Caldwell to play the #3 seeded Cougars at 2:00 PM. Post will head down to Philadelphia to play the #4 seed, Holy Family. The Holy Family/Post winner will face Dominican on Wednesday at 11:00 am at Tryon Field in Rutherford. The Caldwell/Bloomfield winner will play Wilmington at approximately 1:30 pm. The championship game is set for 6:00 pm on Saturday November 3rd.
