GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Despite having to deal with cold temperatures and a large pile of snow that was plowed off to the side of the pitch, the seventh-ranked and sixth seeded Davenport men's soccer team will be hanging their winter clothes and pack summer wear as the Panthers survived a shootout with Olivet Nazarene in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Championship at Aquinas' Athletic Complex Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers and Tigers went scoreless for 110 minutes and had to decide who will advance to Delray Beach, Fla., for the remainder of the national championship Dec. 1-6. Davenport's
Aaron Orban made two saves while the offense helped him secure a 5-4 edging victory in the shootout.
Davenport (18-3-1) will face St. Andrews (N.C.) at Seacrest Soccer Complex in the second round Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. It will be the first time the Panthers advance to the next round of the national championship.
Regulation saw both teams battle for possession. It wasn't until the second half that both teams had close chances to breaking the ice. For Davenport in the 78
th minutes,
Dino Duratovic dribbled down the left flank and fired a shot that hit the post before it was cleared by the Tigers (15-5-1).
The Panthers put 14 shots on the board, one on goal, while the Tigers tallied nine overall. Orban made three saves in the 110 minutes of work.
Post-Match NotesDavenport is 1-2 in the opening round of the NAIA National Championship…The Panthers also move to 2-1-1 in the all-time meeting with Olivet Nazarene…It was the first time that the men's soccer program had to determine a winner via a shootout…Davenport is shutout for the first time in six matches
Men's Soccer Contact:
Rick Hoskin | 616-554-5045 |
rhoskin@davenport.eduDU Athletics: Twitter |
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