TEANECK, N.J.- #3 FDU is advancing to the NEC Championship semifinal after defeating #6 Le Moyne by a score of 2-1 Sunday afternoon at University Stadium.
The game marked Le Moyne's first-ever NEC tournament game.
Good fortune found the Knights early in the match. In the 20
th minute,
Matt Giraldo charged into the box drawing a pair of Dolphin defenders. After initiating some contact and losing the ball, a Le Moyne defender knocked the ball into the back of the net to put the Knights ahead 1-0. This was the culmination of FDU dominating the terms of possession for the first 20 minutes.
After the goal, Le Moyne found their footing offensively with multiple threatening buildups. FDU goalkeeper
Spencer King was called upon to make two saves in the remainder of the first half and the Knights' defense did well to thwart a few other chances. In total, Le Moyne put six shots on the board in the first-half.
FDU went into the halftime break still holding a 1-0 lead.
The Knights had the initial attacking opportunities in the second-half. Le Moyne goalkeeper saved shots from
Jayd Hamdaoua and
Mario Ibeas to keep the Knights lead at one goal.
In the 51
st minute, Le Moyne threatened to level the match again. King stood tall on a strike from a Dolphin attacker and made a spectacular save. King finished the match with six total saves.
Just moments later, FDU had a freekick right outside of the box.
Andreas Blaaholm rocketed a shot on target. The initial save was made by the Le Moyne keeper but he could not secure the rebound and
Eric Dlabal pounded the ball home for his 3
rdgoal of the season. FDU led 2-0 in the 58
th minute.
In the 89
th minute, Le Moyne finally found the back of the net. Their goal came off a corner that was headed down and with pace past King to make the score 2-1.
The Dolphins had just 60 seconds to level the match. Their best chance in the final minute came off of a free kick but the Knights successfully defended it and secured the victory.
In the end, Le Moyne outshot FDU 17-13. There were 29 fouls and seven bookings between the two squads.
What's Next
The Knights will take on #2 LIU in the NEC semifinal on Thursday at 1 p.m. in Brookville, N.Y. at LIU Soccer Park. This game will take place just a week after FDU fell to LIU in the regular season finale.
