WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- In a an absolute thriller in The Sun Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Semifinal, the fifth-seeded Southeastern University men's soccer team fell to the top-seeded Keiser University Seahawks 5-4 in penalty kicks after tying 3-3 through 110 minutes of soccer.
The Fire struck first in the 17
th minute, as graduate forward
Banabas Ganidekam delivered a fantastic solo effort off his left foot from 30 yards out to put SEU ahead 1-0 with his fifth tally of the season.
Keiser found the equalizer in the 31
st minute off the foot of Zarraluqui.
The Seahawks outshot the Fire 9-5 in the first half. However, senior goalkeeper
Logan Whitney made five crucial first-half saves to preserve the 1-1 tie heading into the half.
Less than a minute into the second half, sophomore forward
Julian Hall dribbled past the Keiser defense and finished near post to put SEU back on top 2-1.
In the 64
th minute, Hall found the back of the net again off a cross from graduate forward
Jake Van Der Luit to grow the Fire lead to 3-1.
Keiser made it a one-goal game in the 66
th minute thanks to Evan Finnegan.
The Fire were unable to generate a shot on goal for the remainder of regulation.
With one-second remaining on the game clock, Ciro Damine netted the game-tying goal to knot things up 3-3.
The Fire weathered the storm in the two-overtime sessions, being outshot by the Seahawks 11-2 during the 20-minute stretch.
In the penalty kick session, Whitney made two monumental saves that put the Fire in a position to win. However, a pair of missed penalty kick opportunities for SEU gave Keiser the chance to battle back. The Seahawks went on to win 5-4 in PKs.
SEU awaits to see if It will receive an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.
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