WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Senior midfielder
Ivan Tapuskovic scored the game-winning goal with 5:16 remaining in the second overtime period as St. Francis Brooklyn rallied to edge Milwaukee, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship at the UNCW Soccer Stadium on Thursday evening.
The Terriers, who improve to 6-1-2, advance to the second round on Sunday, May 2, for a 5 p.m. contest against No. 3 national seed Indiana. Milwaukee, meanwhile, ends its season with an 8-5-0 record.
Tapuskovic completed the comeback with the golden goal as the Terriers overcame a 1-0 deficit to earn their sixth straight win. He scored his first goal of the season after taking a crossing pass from junior forward
El Mahdi Youssoufi and slipping a one-timer past sophomore goalkeeper
Nick Chiappa.
After a scoreless first half, Milwaukee claimed the advantage in the 62nd minute when the Panthers were awarded a penalty kick following a foul by St. Francis Brooklyn in the penalty area. Freshman defender
Raul Medina stepped up to the spot and drilled his fourth goal of the season past sophomore goalkeeper
Callum James.
The Panthers held the edge until the 89th minute when a crossing pass by senior defender
Domenico Pugliese and a Tapuskovic header found Youssoufi, who evened the score with a shot from 15 yards.
James made five saves in the victory for St. Francis Brooklyn, which outshot Milwaukee by a 13-9 margin. Chiappa also tallied five saves for the Panthers in the loss.
