November 13, 2005

STOCKTON WINS ECAC METRO MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
5-4 ON PENALTY KICKS

Chris Rollman - Stockton SID
(Pomona, NJ) – Second-seeded Richard Stockton (14-6-2) won the ECAC Metro men's soccer championship 5-4 on penalty kicks after playing a 0-0 tie with fourth-seeded Ramapo (14-4-3) this afternoon. Stockton back Brian Klein (Ocean Twp./Ocean Twp.) was named the tournament MVP after leading the Ospreys' defense to three consecutive shutouts in ECAC playoff games. Stockton outscored its three opponents by a combined 12-0 and won its second ECAC men's soccer title in school history (2000, 2005).

In the penalty kick shootout, the teams were tied 4-4 after the best-of-five portion, forcing a sixth, sudden-death round of kicks. Stockton goalkeeper Sean Dallas (Cherry Hill/CH East) made a save on Ramapo's Will Mazzuto (Saddle River/Northern Highlands) and then Matt Lewis (Bear, DE/Glasgow) booted the decisive kick into the goal to clinch the ECAC Metro title for the Ospreys.

Stockton outshot Ramapo 21-10 in the 110 minutes of scoreless action. Starting goalie Dallas made one save in 48 minutes and later notched two saves during the shootout. Matt Hart (Dayton/South Brunswick) played 62 minutes in the Stockton net and made three stops. Ramapo goalkeeper Mike Kull (Millville/Millville) faced more pressure and finished the game with 10 saves.

Both teams had chances to win the game in the final two-and-a-half minutes of regulation. First, Stockton's Dan Morse (Cherry Hill/CH East) dinged a header off the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Ramapo's Josh Taylor (Hackensack/Hawthorne Christian) blasted a shot that was saved but not controlled by Hart. Stockton defender Chris DePolis (Voorhees/Eastern) swooped in to clear the loose ball away from the open goal and end the threat. Neither team scored in overtime, producing the second 0-0 tie of the season between Stockton and Ramapo.

Today's ECAC Metro championship match signaled the end of the 2005 season for both teams. Stockton ended the year at 14-6-2 while Ramapo finished with a 14-4-3 overall record.