BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The No. 14 LIU Post men's soccer team advanced to the third round of the 2018 NCAA Division II Championship after a header by freshman
Paul Hein in the 78
th minute lifted the Pioneers over No. 21 Mercy College 1-0 Saturday at the Pioneer Soccer Park.
The match was a back-and-forth battle until a free kick by senior
Vittorio Argeri from just above the top left corner of the box resulted in Hein heading the ball into the back right corner and giving the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
Along with Hein's goal and Argreri's assist senior goalkeeper
Oliver Hessner Hansen also added three saves.
The closeness of the match was reflected in the fact both the Pioneers and Mavericks had eight shots each. LIU Post also had three corner kicks to two by Mercy.
LIU Post had two scoring opportunities inside the first five minutes of the match; Argeri had a shot saved at 2:45 and graduate student
Lukas Ostermann missed wide at 4:43. Argeri had another shot saved at 28:55 and the score remained 0-0 heading into halftime.
The second half was likewise tightly-contested. While freshman
Atha Coutroumpas narrowly missed high at 72:42 the Pioneers found the back of the net in the 78
th minute thanks to Hein's header.
Up Next
The Pioneers will meet the winner of No. 9 Adelphi College and (RV) Wilmington (Delaware) University in the East Region Championship next week. Exact date, time and location is to be determined.