On Thursday, December 1, the No. 4 ranked Stevens Men’s Soccer team traveled to Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem, VA to compete in the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship Semifinals against No. 2 University of Chicago (UChicago). Unfortunately, the Ducks lost to UChicago in a hard-fought battle after forcing an overtime period.
The team had an incredible season that will go down as one of the program’s most successful, with a 17-1-5 record, the program’s second ever NCAA final-four appearance, the first being in 2008. Men’s Soccer also was the last collegiate New Jersey soccer team, regardless of NCAA division or gender, to close its season, along with a staggering number of individual player accomplishments. The team amassed a total of three All-America awards, five All-Region selections, six Academic All-District players, and seven players making All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Teams. Additionally, this game marked the end of the Duck’s impressive undefeated game streak of 30, which went back to October 23 of the Fall 2021 season.
Although the Ducks were competing in an away match, the community support for the team remained the same, as the UCC Marketplace was the scene for a watch party for students and faculty to get together to support the team.
The first half of regulation time was very dependent on field position, as just about 80% of the game at that point was played in the middle of the field. Graduate student Adam Silva added offensive pressure by being the first of either team to take a shot at the goal, doing so during the 11th minute of the first half. The Ducks had a strong presence in the midfield, which prevented UChicago from pushing forward. This pressure contributed to UChicago only being able to make four shots against the Ducks, none of which were on goal.
The second half of regulation was more defensive for the Ducks. UChicago increased their offensive pressure and nearly scored, but the Ducks successfully cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve the 0-0 score and force overtime. The second half resulted in UChicago taking 11 shots and senior goalkeeper Justin Cross making three saves.
The pressure only increased in the first half of overtime. Cross stopped two shots on goal that were 30 seconds apart only seven minutes into the overtime period. During the second half of overtime, UChicago scored the first goal of the match in the 106th minute of the game. However, Cross’s performance this season was stellar. With 21 saves over seven postseason games, he finished the season with a 0.44 goals-against average and a 0.863 save percentage as being named the 2022 MAC Freedom Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Men’s Soccer Head Coach Dale Jordan was very grateful for such an impressive season. He added, “What an incredible season! I am so proud of what the guys have achieved this year; they are an exceptional group of student-athletes who are fantastic embassies for the soccer program, the athletic department, their school, their families, their communities, and for the state of New Jersey. I want to thank each of them for giving everything possible this season.” The coaching staff continued by thanking the graduating seniors and graduate students, the athletes’ families for their continued support, the Stevens athletic department, and the sports medicine department and athletic trainer. Though Men’s Soccer season comes to a close, it will be remembered as one of the most successful in Stevens’ history.
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