CALDWELL, N.J. - - The shorthanded Wilmington University men's soccer team hung on for a 1-0 victory in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference First Round game over No. 4 Caldwell on Sunday afternoon at Caldwell Athletics Field.
With the win, the Wildcats (8-9-2) advance to the CACC Tournament Semifinal for the fifth time in the last six years. They will now head to No. 1 Post on Wednesday for the Semifinal match after the Eagles defeated No. 8 Jefferson, 1-0, in overtime.
The Wildcats and Cougars tied during the regular season, 1-1, and the postseason matchup was just as close on Sunday.
The lone mark came in the 26th minute as Theo Faillon followed up Jhamaleek Porter shot and save. The rebound popped right in front of the goal and Faillon beat the goalkeeper to the rebound, poking it past him for his 22nd goal of the season and the 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats found themselves down a man in the 36th minute as Carrick Stewart received a red card. But neither team recorded a shot the rest of the first half as the Wildcats went into the break holding onto the 1-0 lead.
The teams traded shots in the opening minutes of the second half, as Theo Faillon's chance was saved and Mylan le Baut's shot was wide. Charlie Phillips made two saves in the opening three minutes for the Wildcats as well.
Charlie Phillips was also called upon to make back-to-back saves in the 84th minute, making both stops against Theodore Hertzenberg just seconds apart.
Caldwell led in shots, 16-10, including 11-6 in the second half. Charlie Phillips recorded six saves for his third shutout of the season.
Wednesday's CACC Tournament Semifinal begins at 1:00 p.m. on LaMoy Field in Waterbury, Connecticut.