LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - In the quarterfinal matchup involving the fourth-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles and fifth-seeded Marist Red Foxes, Marist advanced in penalty kicks 0-0 (4-1). Goalkeeper Steve Skonieczny (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) came up big all afternoon, making eight saves, including three in the final 20 minutes of regulation and three in the overtime period.
Marist began the first half action with the majority of possession over the first 14 minutes. The Red Foxes' pressure in Niagara's defensive end resulted in two shots, one by George and one by Szabo that were blocked and two corner kick opportunities.
Niagara responded with two shots of their own over the next ten minutes. The Purple Eagles registered the first shot on goal of the game as Mike Pass' attempt was stopped by grad student Skonieczny.
The Red Foxes' regained control of the offensive possession down the stretch in the first half as they were able to get four shots off towards the goal. Senior Krystian Witkowski (Rochester, N.Y.) unleashed three of the shots, in the 35th, 38th and the 39th minutes, with his second effort being corralled by Niagara's goalkeeper Brett Petricek.
Coming out half tied at 0-0 the teams traded scoring opportunities as Skonieczny was tested three minutes into play with a shot by Ken Cooper. The Red Foxes responded with a Tim Garger (Garden City, N.Y.) shot on goal at 56:20.
The offense slowed down over the next 15 minutes as each side registered one shot during this span of play. Niagara picked up the pressure in Marist's defensive zone the following 15 minutes as they put three shots on goal, all of which were denied by Skonieczny.
Regulation ended with the score 0-0.
The first overtime period saw the Red Foxes stand tall versus a consistant Niagara attack. The Purple Eagles unleashed five shots, three of which were blocked by Marist defenders and a fourth, which Skonieczny saved. Szabo registered the Red Foxes' lone shot on goal as he tested Petricek in the 98th minute.
The second overtime stanza, Skonieczny continued his mastery of Niagara as he stopped consecutive shots in the 107th minute.
After 110 minutes of scoreless action, it was time for penalty kicks to decide a victor. Gerry Ceja (Port Chester, N.Y.), Alex George (Southold, N.Y.), Anthony Rozmus (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and Lucas Szabo (Bethesda, Md.) all converted their kicks for the Red Foxes in the shootout, who advanced with a 4-1 score.
For the game, Marist was outshot 22-11 with the Purple Eagles also holding an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.
Post-match Matt Viggiano remarked that "he was real happy with the outcome of the game. It was a hard-fought battle. We played the better game in the first half and they were better in the second. To earn our eighth clean sheet of the season is a testament to the great job that Skins [Skonieczny] and our defense did. Skins was without a doubt our player of the game, he came up with clutch save after clutch save down the stretch and even into PKs were he had his hand on every kick."
The Red Foxes will now play #1 Fairfield in the first semifinal on Sunday at 11 a.m. The game will air live on ESPN3.com.
