Box Score
NOVEMBER 14, 2013
KING'S MEN'S SOCCER DROPS 1-0 DECISION TO LYCOMING IN NCAA OPENER
WILKES-BARRE --Alfonce Mutuku scored the lone goal of the game in the first half and the Lycoming College defense made its stand up as the visiting Warriors posted a 1-0 victory over host King's College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer National Tournament Thursday night at McCarthy Stadium in the Betzler Athletic Conference.
With the win, Lycoming improved to 11-7-5 and advances to the second round of the national tournament where the Warriors travel to face unbeaten Rutgers-Camden (19-0-2). King's, meanwhile, saw its season come to an end with a 11-5-5 mark. The Monarchs reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history after capturing the Freedom Conference title last week.
King's played the first 19 minutes holding a territorial advantage but it was Lycoming which found the net with what proved to be the game-winning goal. Freshman Alfonce Mutuku took a ball down the left sideline after beating a Monarch defender and drilled a shot from 25 yards out into the upper right corner of the net.
The Monarchs had two opportunities later in the half but were unable to convert. With 17:03 on the clock sophomore Chris Nygren took a cross from the right wing by Brian Fenster and pushed his shot wide left of the net looking at a wide open goal. The second chance came with 8:52 to play in the opening stanza when Ritchie Reyes put a point-blank shot off the left post following a throw from Mike Smart.
Lycoming held a 3-2 advantage in first-half shots while the Monarchs led 4-0 in corner kicks.
The second half was a defensive struggle neither team was unable to mount legitimate scoring chances. Both teams managed two shots but none were on goal. With the game inside 10 minutes, Lycoming would bring its entire squad back on the defensive end to successfully protect the lead.
King's last shot came off the foot of Chris Nygren with 0:30 to play but the shot sailed wide of the net as the Warriors would run out the clock.
The Monarchs made a valiant effort playing the game without its top player and leading scorer Niall Croke who suffered a broken foot in the Freedom Conference title game against FDU-Florham on Saturday. Croke rested all week and made an attempt to practice on Wednesday but was unable to run effectively, leaving the Monarchs without their 6-foot-2 center-midfielder.
The Warrior defense and midfield were able to take advantage and as it has throughout the post-season, played flawless defense. Throughout Lycoming's four post-season games the Warriors have now gone 538 minutes without allowing a goal.
In the final totals, Lycoming led in shots 7-6 while the Monarchs owned a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. King's goalie Mark Labbadia posted two saves on the night while Warrior keeper Connor Keegan also made two stops.
Lycoming will look to post its fifth straight post-season win on Sunday when the Warriors face Rutgers-Camden at 1:00 p.m. in Camden, NJ.
While the ending was disappointing for King's, the Monarchs can look back on a season where the team made history with its first-ever conference title and its NCAA tournament debut. The team graduates six players and will return the majority of its starting line-up next season