BROOKLYN, N.Y. -  The Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team clinched a spot in the 2018 NEC Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 win over the first place LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds to end the regular season with a final record of 7-6-4 (4-2-2 NEC) overall. 

The Knights will play a re-match against the Blackbirds on Friday, November 9 in the first round of next weekend's tournament.  It is the second consecutive tournament appearance for the Knights. 

Ahu Obhakhan (8) an Diego Arribas (2) provided the offense for FDU.  Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite made four saves to earn his NEC-leading fifth clean sheet of the season.  

"We competed hard and were solid defensively from top to bottom," head coach Seth Roland said.  "Against LIU, you have to be that way or you won't stand a chance. Jahmali made several great saves to keep them off the board. Leo was very sharp, and Ahu presented problems for them in attack.  He finished off a nice run and cross by Diego, who added an insurance goal three minutes afterwards. Diego's pretty hot tallying 2 goals and 4 assists the past two games."

The final regular-season game at LIU Stadium featured a number of dramatic tempo changes, with the Knights and Blackbirds alternating between tentative long ball in the midfield and a frenetic exchange of scoring chances at both ends. 

A dramatic sliding tackle on Arribas in the 5' snuffed out what appeared to be a quality look for FDU after the sophomore mid-fielder had built up some speed down they right wing with possession, while at the other end Anthony Herbert cleared a dangerous loose ball off the back line and out of danger before the Blackbirds could take advantage.  

The Knights nearly scored again ten minutes later after Obhkahan lofted a beautiful ball into the box that just narrowly mossed connecting with a waiting Ideal Shefqeti on the far post. 

A lull in pace followed Shefeti's miss, with neither team asserting a dominance in possession for much of the remainder of the first, however it didn't take long for FDU to regain their footing. 

Starting with a header off a set piece from Wojciech Piwowarczyk in the 47' that sailed just high, the Knights came hard with a steady flurry of chances, building up more pressure in the LIU third of the field  as the second half wore on thanks in part to a boost from some fresh legs. 

The addition of Fredinho Mompremier into the lineup at the start of the second paid dividends for Roland and the Knights.  

The senior injected a shot of adrenaline into the Knights attack as he worked a number of dangerous chances with Obhakhan in the Brooklyn end of the field, pushing the pace until the Knights finally managed to break through. 

One week after a dramatic five-point effort against Sacred Heart, Arribas helped put the Knights on the board yet again in the 61', threading a low cross through the box and onto the foot of a streaking Obhakhan, who timed his run perfectly to softly tap home the effort to give FDU a 1-0 lead. 

"LIU is a very good team and they are an extremely difficult team to play against," Roland said.  "They're very, very talented and we will have to be even better against them on Friday in the semifinal if we want to beat them again."

Arribas put the finishing touches on another standout performance three minutes later.  The Spanish national collected a ball off of a throw in before curing towards the net and firing a low strike that sailed past the outreached Blackbirds keeper and into the far corner of the net to widen FDU's lead to 2-0. 

Despite a determined effort by LIU over the final 15 minutes, the Knights were clinical in their defense, running out the rest of the clock to secure the win and hand LIU their first home loss of the season. 

"I'm really excited for the guys that we were able to win and qualify for the NEC Playoffs. We knew we had shot ourselves in the foot in several earlier NEC games by not finishing our chances and by leaving points on the table. But this team never quit," Roland said.  "They just kept working and working, taking it one game at a time, and persevering even when it was an uphill climb. I'm very proud of them."