MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - - A furious late game rally with two goals coming in the final five minutes of the match allowed the Wilmington University men's soccer team to extend its win streak to four consecutive matches as it came back to defeat Millersville, 2-1, on Wednesday night .
Unable to record back-to-back wins prior in the season, the Wildcats (6-6 overall) evened their record with their fourth straight win, the third win over a regionally ranked opponent. Millersville (5-5 overall) was ranked No. 6 in the latest NSCAA Atlantic Region poll, after the Wildcats defeated West Chester (No. 8 Atlantic Region) and Nyack (No. 10 East Region) previously in the streak.
After a scoreless first half, a flurry of action set off the second 45 minutes but none better than the final 5:50 of the match. Trailing 1-0 after Millersville put a goal on the board in the 50th minute, the Wildcats' recent burst of resiliency shined through once more.
"What a win for our guys," head coach Nick Papanicolas said. "This team has developed a 'never quit attitude' and I'm very proud of our effort tonight."
Freshman Lance Berry started the comeback with his third goal of the season, but the first by virtue of his foot. Approaching the 5 minute mark, Berry gathered the ball inside the penalty box and took a shot from 16 yards out, dipping the ball just over the Marauders goalkeeper's reach, tying the match following 84:10 minutes of the match.
Looking to retake the lead, the Marauders earned two corner kicks in the next three minutes, but couldn't get a shot off for the rest of the match.
The Wildcats grabbed the momentum following the two Millersville corner kicks and earned a throw-in from just outside the penalty box with under two minutes remaining in regulation. Tommy Quaranta dropped off a pass to Ray Kuemmer who one-timed it into the penalty area.
Millersville's keeper, Chris Schneider, came out and stopped one shot from Kresimir Nurnberger, but the ball stayed alive in the box and Nurnberger was able to poke it home for what would become the game-winning goal. The senior's second goal of the season came with only 1:32 left on the scoreboard.
Although the Wildcats made an extraordinary comeback, the scoreboard was the lone statistical category the visitors controlled. The Marauders outshot the Wildcats, 14-10, for the match, but only 8-7 in the second stanza. Millersville also earned more corners in the game, 8-3 for the game including a 5-0 advantage in the second half.
Wildcat goalkeeper Spyros Stergiotis recorded three saves for the win, moving to 5-1 in six starts on the season. The Marauder's Schneider recorded three saves for the home team in the loss.
Wilmington puts its four-match win streak, two of which have come in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, on the line on Saturday as the Wildcats get back to CACC action with a home game against Concordia. In part of a doubleheader with the women's team, the men will begin the nightcap of the twinbill at 2:30 p.m. at the WU Athletics Complex.
