BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team fell to local rival St. Francis Brooklyn in the final game of the regular season Friday afternoon, in one of the toughest ways possible. Playing for the top spot in the Northeast Conference, the Blackbirds fell to the Terriers, 2-1 in overtime. SFBK scored the game winning goal in the 102
nd minute, and clinch the regular season NEC title with the victory. The Terriers will host next week's NEC tournament as the top seed in the league.
The two borough rivals opened the game with a scoreless first half. Both teams had shots in the first half that should have been goals, but LIU keeper Anthony Sciola and SFBK's Robert Bazzichetto put on goalie clinics, making outstanding saves in the net on both sides of the field.
After a 0-0 first half, the Blackbirds struck first, getting on the board in the 61
st minute. Sophomore
Frej Engberg got the play started when he headed a cross into the box. An SFBK defender tried to head it out, but it landed right at the feet of junior
Rasmus Hansen. Hansen cut it across the box where sophomore
Christoffer Bjarre Solbakken was waiting by the right corner of the goal to fire it in from the six-yard line.
LIU's 1-0 lead lasted just over two and a half minutes. During that time, Sciola made two huge saves, making it seem like the Blackbirds would be able to hold SFBK scoreless. But in the 64
th minute, the Terriers were able to fire a close-range shot that snuck past Sciola's feet and tied the game up, 1-1.
Both teams had multiple close calls throughout the rest of regulation, including shots that hit the cross bar, and diving saves by keepers. But the two teams ended 90 minutes tied at 1-1, and entered into extra periods.
The visiting team would score the golden goal in the 102
nd minute. SFBK threw the ball in, and served a long cross into the box. A deflection threw Sciola off balance, and a diving header on the left side of the net went in, ending the game, and clinching hosting rights for the Terriers.
The 2017 Northeast Conference men's soccer tournament will be hosted by St. Francis Brooklyn in Brooklyn Bridge Park next weekend. The Terriers, as the top seed, will take on #4 seed Robert Morris. #2 seed LIU will face off against #3 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, Friday, November 10, at a time to be determined.