BROOKVILLE, N.Y.- #3 FDU's comeback bid fell short as they saw their season come to an end in the NEC semifinal at #2 LIU on Thursday afternoon. The Sharks defeated the Knights 2-1 in overtime.

Similar to their regular season matchup, the Sharks were able to find an early advantage. In the 10^th minute, a long-range LIU shot ricocheted off the bottom of the crossbar and the rebound was aptly hammered home to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

FDU attempted to respond offensively but were met with a sound defensive performance by the Sharks in the remainder of the first-half. Jayd Hamdaoua came close to equalizing the game in the 43^rd minute but the LIU keeper made a surehanded save that kept the score 1-0 heading into the halftime break.

At the end of 45 minutes, the Knights were outshooting LIU 7-3.

The Knights completely dictated the terms of possession in the second-half. The insertion of Jaime Barbero in the 55^th minute helped solidify FDU's offensive momentum. His pace consistently gave LIU trouble and opened things up for the Knights. This culminated in a scoring opportunity in the 62^nd minute that saw Barbero cut in and come dangerously close to finding the leveling goal, but his shot skirted just wide.

FDU continued to push hard for an equalizer. Their dominating efforts were finally rewarded in the 80^th minute. Andreas Blaaholm found the ball at his feet after a deflection on a corner kick and he rocketed a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. This was the first goal of Blaaholm's career.

The Knights outshot LIU 13-1 in the second-half.

After 90 minutes, the game went into overtime tied at 1-1.

Just 39 seconds into the first-overtime period, a red card was issued to FDU's Gabriel Le Guen. This put the Knights a man-down for the remainder of the match.

FDU was able to hold off the Sharks for the first 10-minute overtime period, thanks to a clutch save from Spencer King. However, 30 seconds into the second-overtime, the Sharks attack found the go-ahead goal off of a well-placed cross that FDU could not defend. LIU led 2-1 with just over nine minutes remaining.

Blaaholm came about as close as you can get to finding a second-goal when he fired a shot from outside the box that drilled the top of the woodwork with less than two minutes remaining in the match. That would prove to be their last chance for an equalizer as time ran out on the Knights.

#2 LIU now advances to the NEC Championship on Sunday with a 2-1 victory. 

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This concludes the 2023 men's soccer season. Stay connected with the Knights on Twitter and Instagram @FDUKnightsmsoc.
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