News
Men's Soccer Advances To Elite Eight With PK Win
Date Posted: 2/2/2024
No. 21 University of Chicago men's soccer began hosting their second straight NCAA tournament weekend with a battle against the top team in the bracket for the third round in No. 10 Calvin. Each team owned a half and overtime didn't solve things but a perfect performance in penalty kicks allowed the Maroons to advance to the next round in what will go down as a 1-1 tie against the Knights.
RESULT – NCAA TOURNAMENT THIRD ROUND
No. 21 UChicago – 1
No. 10 Calvin – 1
***UChicago wins 5-3 in penalty kicks***
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It looked like No. 21 University of Chicago (11-2-6) was already setting the tone of the game early on when Kai Walsh set up Ryan Yetishefsky for his 12th goal of the season to make it 1-0 Maroons just seven minutes into the contest. However, that would only be the case for the first half.
- Down 1-0, No. 10 Calvin (18-2-2) scored in the second frame almost as quickly as the Maroons did in the first and tied the game towards the tail end of the 58th minute. The Knights proceeded to outshoot UChicago by two in the frame (7-5) but even with most of the play happening at their end of the field, the top seeded squad couldn't find the go ahead goal.
- The Maroons picked up steam towards the end of regulation and had a few attempts just miss the net but there would be no last second heroics in the cards this time as the contest went into overtime. Neither team got a shot off in the 20 minutes of mandatory extra play, officially ending the game in a tie and setting the stage for a tense penalty kick session.
- UChicago made their first four attempts with credit going to Jack Leuker, Tanner Baldwin, Lyndon Hu, and Yetishefsky in that order while the Knights made their first two before keeper Will Boyes made a massive stop to throw Calvin off track. Up 4-3, Robbie Pino hammered the final nail in the coffin, giving the Maroons a perfect shootout score and the right to advance in the tournament.
UCHICAGO STAT TRACKER
Shots on Goal – Jack Leuker & Ryan Yetishefsky (2)
Goals – Ryan Yetishefsky (1)
Assists – Kai Walsh (1)
Saves – Will Boyes (6)
WHO'S ON DECK
UChicago will try to punch their ticket to a second straight national championship weekend when they take on No. 11 St. Olaf tomorrow afternoon. Kickoff for the quarterfinal matchup between the Oles and the Maroons is slated for 2:00 pm at Stagg Field.
For up-to-the-minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.