Through five rounds of penalty kicks at a dramatic NAIA Men’s Soccer Championship quarterfinal game, Dalton State College appeared to have found a winning recipe to beat St. Thomas keeper Franco Acerbi.
The Roadrunners may have tried Acerbi’s left side just one too many times.
After five straight made penalty kicks, including four to Acerbi’s left, Gavin Taylor’s attempt to get past the keeper to that same left side was blocked in the sixth round of PKs.
Hernando Suarez sent in his chance in the sixth round, and 5th-seeded St. Thomas knocked off 4th-seeded Dalton State 6-5 on PKs to move on to the national semifinals to face Milligan on Saturday.
Dalton State’s season ends, for the second straight season, in an extra-time loss in the NAIA quarterfinals. Lindsey Wilson eliminated Dalton State in the quarters a year ago. Dalton State was seeking its first visit to the national semifinals.
In the game played in Wichita, Kansas, a round of penalty kicks became necessary to decide a winner after the first half, the second half, the first 10-minute overtime period and then the second all ended with the score tied at 1-1.
Through the initial period of five PKs, Josh Ramos, Rasmus Andersson, Matheus Gamileira, Jaime Mendiola and Guilherme Franca all easily put goals past Acerbi. DSC keeper Michael Barrueta chose the correct side on a pair of the first five, but couldn’t make a stop. Suarez’s difference-maker went through to Barrueta’s right as he desperately dove left.
Dalton State scored just eight minutes into the game and held the advantage nearly until halftime, but a disastrous play near the end of the first resulted in an own goal that kept the game knotted until after PKs settled a winner.
Off a Rasmus Andersson corner kick at the 7:50 mark of the first half, the ball batted around to find Jack Stainrod, who hit an open Franca, who buried the goal to put Dalton State up 1-0.
After needing a late-game goal by Mason Dalton in a 1-0 round of 16 win over William Penn on Monday, the Roadrunners got on the board early in Thursday’s semifinal game, but that would be the final Roadrunner score of regulation.
As the Roadrunners headed toward half with an advantage, an unfortunate play resulted in St. Thomas grabbing momentum and tying the game just under two minutes before half.
A long pass from near the opposite goal was booted by St. Thomas. With no one in the area and the ball set to land a little outside of the penalty box, Barrueta, Franca and St. Thomas’s Osaghae Oghogho all charged at it.
The trio collided as the ball bounced off of Franca and made its way slowly into the empty net.
The second half was played by a pair of strong defenses, and not many good looks at the goal were to be found.
Dalton State didn’t get its late-game magic like Monday, and the game went to extra time. The two 10-minute frames ended with the scoreboard still locked on 1-1.
Dalton State held a larger shot advantage early, but the game ended with a 13-11 shot advantage for the Roadrunners and four shots on goal apiece.
The Roadrunners wrap up the season at 14-3-3 and match the deepest NAIA tournament run in school history with the quarterfinal appearance. Ranked as high as second in the nation at times, Dalton State lost just once during the regular season, a defeat to Southern States Athletic Conference champion Mobile. The Roadrunners made their fifth straight trip to the NAIA tournament and hosted a first and second round bracket for the second straight season.