A stellar performance by junior goalkeeper Dan Fritz was just enough for fourth-seeded Misericordia in Thursday's Freedom Conference semifinal matchup with top-seeded Manhattanville at GoValiants.com Field, as the Cougars advanced past the Valiants to a 2-0 shootout victory after the teams played to a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes.
The two teams could not decide a winner after regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, thanks in no small part to Fritz. He made back-to-back diving saves to keep the game tied in the final three minutes of regulation, robbing junior Marco Blasetti (Yonkers, N.Y./Rye Country Day) with a parry just over the par and senior Keston George (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/Victory Christian Academy) with a great leaping save to his right to send the game into overtime. In the second extra session, Fritz dove to his left to deny junior Eros Olazabal (Milton, Ontario/Bishop Reding) and Olazabal then rang a shot off the crossbar and out, and the Cougars eventually stalled long enough down the stretch to force penalty kicks.
In the overtime sessions, Manhattanville took six shots to none for Misericordia, but the combination of Fritz and some unkind woodwork allowed the match to continue.
In the shootout, Andy Bush and Rob Wiacek converted for Misericordia while Manhattanville went 0-for-4 from the penalty spot, as the Valiants missed one wide, hit another post, and were denied twice by Fritz, the last shot a diving save to his left that sent the Cougars to the conference championship game for the third time in four years.
Manhattanville had taken a lead way back in the first half, when with 21 seconds remaining in the frame Olazabal got by a defender at the far endline and crossed the ball into the goal mouth where it was redirected into the top corner by George for his 10th goal of the season. The Valiants held that lead until the 67th minute, when Matt Scott took a through ball from Andy Bush and slotted it under graduate student keeper Jason Torres (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) to tie the score.
For the game, Fritz made seven saves while Torres made five for Manhattanville. The Valiants outshot the Cougars, 18-13, on the night.
For Manhattanville (15-3-1), the team now will have its NCAA Tournament fate in the hands of the NCAA selection committee, as the Valiants hope for an at-large bid in an attempt to prolong the winningest season in program history. Misericordia (12-2-4) will play Eastern for the Freedom Conference Championship on Saturday in St. Davids, Pa.