Kaplan’s PK Propels Men’s Soccer Past Roger Williams in OT, 3-2

QUINCY, Mass.- Senior Josh Kaplan (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) netted the game-winning goal in the 100th minute as he converted a penalty kick to lift the Eastern Nazarene College men's soccer team to its first win in the Commonwealth Coast Conference  this season, a 3-2 victory over Roger Williams Saturday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The win elevates the Lions to 5-7-2 overall and 1-4-1 in league play. The Hawks drop to 9-4 on the season and 3-1 in conference matches.

"We did a good job of scoring an early goal and adding one in the second half. This was a very good win over a talented squad. We need to take the same mentality into the remaining games this season," said head coach Ramo Badohoun. "Before the overtime, we refocused in the locker room and reestablish our gameplan. I was proud of the way we played in the overtime period. Our team treated this game like a playoff game and they worked hard all day. We will look to learn from our mistakes in the game as well as draw from the positives to help us in future games."

The hosts got on the board in the 31st minute to seize a 1-0 advantage. Junior Edgar Arceo (Minden, Nev.) controlled a loose ball in the middle of the pitch before dribbling past a defender into the box. Inside the penalty area, Arceo directed a shot into the lower left corner of the frame to record his fifth goal of the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jake Johnson (Mount Bethel, Pa.) made a series of key saves in the opening half to keep the Hawks at bay.

At the midway point of the match, Roger Williams owned a 12-4 edge in shots and a 9-1 gap in corner kicks earned.

The Lions stretched their lead to 2-0 in the 65th minute as Jong Chan Lee (Makati, South Korea) cleaned up a loose ball inside the six-yard box. The junior blasted the ball into an open net for his first tally of the season.

The Hawks cut the deficit in half, 2-1, in the 71st minute as Andrew Carlson knocked in his own rebound. After his initial shot was saved, Carlson's second effort was enough to put the ball in the back of the net for his fourth tally of the year.

Roger Williams knotted the contest at 2-2 with just 1:01 remaining in regulation. James Sheldon fired a one-time shot from the top of the six-yard box that hit the underside of the crossbar. The ball landed just over the goal line for the visitors' equalizer and Sheldon's sixth goal of the season.

At the end of 90 minutes, Roger Williams owned a 23-7 advantage in shots and an 11-1 gap in corner kicks earned.

In the first overtime session, William Campbell (Anchorage, Alaska) earned a penalty kick for the Lions as he was fouled inside the box. Kaplan stepped up and buried the penalty kick with 23.1 seconds showing on the clock to seal Eastern Nazarene's first league victory of the fall.

The Hawks fired three shots in the extra session while the Lions registered two.

In goal, Johnson finished the day with six saves for the home side. Tom Mangels and Kevin Oliveira each stopped one shot between the posts for the visiting team.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene hosts Curry October 13 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.