Box Score

SELINSGROVE, Pa. – It was practically Sunday morning by the time the game ended, but it was well worth the wait for Susquehanna men's soccer fans as the team prevailed in penalty kicks against Cabrini to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Crusaders (17-2-1) will now face the University of Rochester on Sunday at 5 p.m. The Yellow Jackets won the evening's first game, also on penalty kicks, against Misericordia.

It took six rounds of penalty kicks but SU prevailed 6-5 to advance to the next round. David Trank (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) provided the ultimate game winner for his squad, connecting on the team's sixth and decisive penalty shot, after the Crusaders had surrendered a 1-0 lead late in the second half.

As a team, Susquehanna held an edge in shots (15-8) and corner kicks (8-4) and limited the Cavaliers (11-7-4) to just four shots on goal all night. SU goalie Matt Salsman (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) may have needed to make only three saves in 110 minutes of action but came up huge in penalty kicks, stopping two of Cabrini's final three attempts.

The teams played a scoreless first half despite four shots from SU and just one from Cabrini. Salsman saw limited action as the Crusader defense was able to prevent the Cavaliers from taking a single shot on goal over those first 45 minutes.

Patrick Fry (Denver, Colo./Colorado Academy) recorded Susquehanna's final shot on goal in the half with a header at the 30:20 mark that was saved by Cabrini goalie R.J. Pino.

With just over 15 minutes left in regulation, Sam Tana (Baldwin, Md. / St. Paul's) came up with the first goal of the night off a deflected Sam Meister shot that Tana knocked into the net for a 1-0 score.

As time wound down in the second half it appeared Tana's goal would stand up as the ultimate game winner but with exactly two minutes left in the game, the Crusaders gave up an own goal, suddenly knotting the game at one and forcing overtime.

Both 10-minute overtime periods passed without a score, resulting in penalty kicks where SU ultimately advanced to Sunday's second-round match.