Box Score

Erie, Pa. – The 2009 PSAC men's soccer semifinal ended with Mercyhurst and No. 12 Slippery Rock knotted at 1-1 following 90 minutes and two overtimes Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Mercyhurst Soccer Field. The Rock won the ensuing penalty kick shootout, 6-5, to advance to the PSAC final Saturday.

With the game tied at 1-1 after 110 minutes of soccer, a penalty kick shootout was contested in order to determine which team advanced in the tournament. Slippery Rock held a 3-2 lead after the first four rounds of the shootout, but Diego Gustin stopped Shane Kelley's shot to keep the Lakers' hopes alive. The next three shooters for each team connected for goals before Greg Blum stopped Mercyhurst's eighth-round attempt, sealing the 6-5 shootout victory.

Slippery Rock will now host the winner of Wednesday night's Bloomsburg at No. 1 Millersville matchup Saturday at 6 p.m. in the PSAC final.

The 1-1 score goes down as a tie for each team in their respective records. Wednesday's match was each team's first draw of the season. With the tie, the Lakers are now 14-5-1, while The Rock is 16-3-1.

Mercyhurst took advantage of time and space in the midfield early on, and throughout the contest. This allowed the Lakers to generate quality scoring chances and keep the Slippery Rock offense off balance. The Rock attempted many long balls which were denied by Mercyhurst's defense. During the 18th minute, the Lakers were awarded a set piece from 25 yards after a Rock hand ball. Billy Colton bent a low shot around the wall and into the net, giving Mercyhurst s 1-0 lead at 17:32 with his 14th goal of the season.

Nearly 40 minutes into the match, the Lakers executed a skillful play off of a free kick, with Nicholas Thompson firing a shot from 15 yards which was denied by Blum. The Lakers took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Mercyhurst controlled much of the second half, and continued to find freedom in the midfield. However, The Rock equalized in the 72nd minute, as Benjamin Lloyd played a long ball that Iain Langstone found in space. Langstone dribbled into the box before unleashing a rising shot past Gustin, tying the match at 1-1. Neither team was able to score for the remainder of regulation, and overtime was needed.

During the first overtime, Mercyhurst outshot Slippery Rock 2-1, but The Rock's one attempt was saved by Gustin. SRU attempted one shot during the second overtime, but the game ended in a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of postseason soccer.

For the match, the Lakers outshot the Rock 14-13, while SRU held a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. Mercyhurst took seven corners to Slippery Rock's four.

Gustin made five saves in his first career tie, while Blum stopped two shots.

The Lakers had gone to penalties just once in their 34-year history prior to Wednesday's game. The first time happened Nov. 15, 2003, when the Lakers tied Findlay 0-0 in the NCAA tournament's second round before dropping the PK shootout 4-3. Marty Ruberry recorded the shutout for the Lakers.

Wednesday's match was the third between Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock this season, with the teams holding identical 1-1-1 records in the season series. The only other time Mercyhurst had played one team three times during the same season was 2007, when the team faced Gannon twice during the regular season and once in the GLIAC tournament. All three matches went into overtime, with Gannon winning twice and one match ending in a draw.

Cotlon scored his 14th goal of the season Wednesday, tying his goal output from 2008. He now leads the team with 29 points on the season.

The Lakers will wait until Monday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., when the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee releases the field for the NCAA tournament, to find out their postseason future. Mercyhurst was ranked No. 4 in the Atlantic Region as of the final regular season poll, and four teams get chosen from each region.