FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Kenyon College men's soccer team battled to a 2-2 tie for the second straight NCAA Division III Tournament game, another match full of memorable moments. Unfortunately, the Owls could not capture more of the penalty-kick magic that got them to the 'Sweet 16,' as Connecticut College advanced to the 'Elite Eight' while Kenyon's season came to a close.
The game was a rollercoaster affair that had fans on both sides on the edge of their seats, and it did not take long for the Owls to rekindle the play that wowed the home crowds in Gambier last weekend.
After Jack Pedreschi saved the game's first shot in the third minute, the Owls offense broke free in the 12th minute. First-year Emmett Brown brought down a contested ball near midfield and made a nice pass to senior Eamon Dujakovich, who lofted a ball up and over the back line of the Connecticut defense that bounced up and into the back of the net, giving Kenyon a goal on the team's first shot.
The early goal ramped up the Owls' momentum, but the Camels came up with an answer just under three minutes later. Connecticut set up a good look at a shot, but Pedreschi read it right, dove to his right, and found himself right on top of the ball. However, the try trickled through and under the senior keeper, evening the score.
With the momentum in limbo, the teams remained tied for the next 62 minutes of play. In a similar script to last Saturday, though, Alem Duratovic's dominant presence changed the game. The senior subbed on in the 58th minute, but the Owls could not convert on multiple chances over his first 19 minutes on the pitch.
Kenyon got another look in the 76th minute, and Duratovic put his stellar abilities on full display. The forward corralled a ball deep in the box, fended off three defenders, and created enough separation to turn and get a shot off. The look snuck past the diving Camels keeper, putting the Owls back on top, 2-1. Duratovic, who made a dramatic return to play last weekend after over a month off the pitch due to injury, had to be helped off the field after the go-ahead goal, having given his all to the team and the program and once again cementing his status in the Kenyon pantheon.
Unfortunately for the Owls, the triumphant moment was short-lived. Much like the first scoring sequence, Connecticut needed just three minutes to find an equalizer. The Camels kept their foot on the gas until the final horn, but Kenyon's defense, including Gabriel Romanenko, Matt Nguyen, Ben Hitt, and others made big play after big play to keep the game tied. Pedreschi punctuated the big stops, making back-to-back game-saving saves to send the teams to overtime.
The Camels kept pressing in extra time, putting two shots on goal while holding Kenyon without a chance at a golden goal. Still, Pedreschi and the Owls held up, and they kept holding up in the second overtime that saw Connecticut outshoot Kenyon 5-0.
Despite the game going down as a 2-2 tie, the teams went to penalty kicks to decide the right to advance to tomorrow's 'Elite Eight' game. After advancing on penalties 4-3 last weekend thanks in part to the heroics of goalkeeper Owen Boukalik, the Owls could not recapture their PK success, going 0-for-3 while the Camels converted all three kicks to advance 3-0.
