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Press Release Written by Mitchell Coll
NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University men's soccer team extended their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Quarterfinal victory streak to four consecutive seasons as the fourth seeded Wildcats topped the fifth seeded Jefferson University Rams, 2-1, Tuesday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex to advance to the CACC Semi-Finals.
With the win, the Wildcats advance to the CACC Tournament Semifinals on Friday morning hosted by Holy Family University in Philadelphia.
The Wildcats set the tone early as Tajhay Williams found the back of the net four minutes into the match. Yohan Kim attempted a cross into the box from the right side, but it was deflected out of bounds by a Jefferson defender. Max Norden took the corner from the right side and kicked the ball to the back post. Malthe Hannesbo headed the initial ball to Tajhay Williams, and his header hit the crossbar and the ball game down to Mads-Emil Roestbjaerg. Roestbjaerg also headed it at goal, but his attempt hit the left post. The renound found Williams's right foot and Williams finally put it away to put the 'Cats up 1-0.
Jefferson's Diego Guzman recorded the next shot in the game. Guzman made an excellent cut on the left side to create separation. Bas Markus minimized the chance as he recorded his first save of the match in the seventh minute.
In the 17th minute, Ryuga Uchigashima and Tajhay Williams' on-theball pressure caused a turnover by Jefferson in their defensive third. Max Norden and Yohan Kim quickly found Tyler Guadagno, who struck the ball first-time on what was a tremendous look at goal. Guadagno's shot was met by a save by Jefferson's keeper Matteo Crescente.
The Rams kept battling and Diego Guzman rewarded them in the 30th minute with a goal. The Rams won possession in the midfield by Gabe Paz. Paz quickly found Guzman down the middle as the Wildcats attempted an unsuccessful offsides trap, and Guzman was left alone to convert the game-tying goal.
The Wildcats went into the half with 11 shots and six corners. Bas Markus made two saves in the first half.
The Wildcats came out into the second half firing on all cylinders as they recorded six shots in the opening six minutes of the second half. Richard Thompson recorded the Wildcats' first shot on goal in the second half in the 58th minute.
Ryuga Uchigashima tried his luck from outside the box on the left side. He cut the ball from his left to his right foot, and the shot beat the keeper but was just a tad high as it hit off the crossbar in the 67th minute.
Marcus Hedemann had two shots on goal in the 72nd and 74th minutes. The first shot came from a ball over the top by Chavez Brooks, and Hedemann had a great chance, but Crescente had cut off the angle to make the save. Hedemann shot in the 74th minute was again a great opportunity. Hedemann stuck the ball with his left foot that seemed destined for the bottom right corner, but Crescente also used his left foot to stretch out and made the foot save.
In the 81st minute, the Wildcats earned a free kick roughly 40-yards out from the goal. Malthe Hannesbo quickly played Joni Ndrenika, who then found Guadagno. Next, Guadagno found Richard Thompson in his familiar spot down the right side. Thompson took one touch and crossed the ball into the middle of the box. The ball bounced once and snuck past Jefferson's defense. Pol Romero continued his run and met the ball with his right foot to send the ball to the back of the net.
The Wildcats move onto the CACC Semi-Final match and will play a team they are familiar with in the CACC playoffs, the No. 1 seeded Post University Eagles. The Wildcats and Eagles will meet for the eighth time in the CACC playoffs, that date back to their first playoff matchup in 2006. No. 1 Post will play No. 4 Wilmington at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 4, at Tiger Field, hosted by Holy Family University in Philadelphia, Pa.
