Box Score
GLENSIDE, Pa. (November 10, 2012) – The No. 5 Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team kept its shutout streak going into the 2012 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship with a 2-0 victory over No. 23 Methodist University in the opening round of the tournament. Senior Zach Adler (McKinney, Texas) assisted the first goal and scored the second to lead the Ducks.

Stevens in now undefeated in its last 16 games and has not allowed a goal in over a month; the last team to slip one past the Duck defense was Utica College on October 6 in a 3-1 Stevens victory.

On Saturday, both sides played an energetic and entertaining opening 10 minutes, with the two teams taking one shot apiece. Stevens had the first good opportunity of the match when a foul was called just outside the Methodist box 13 minutes in, but the free kick was blocked down in front.

Only one minute later, Adler controlled the ball on the right side and sent a perfect crossing pass towards the left post. Quinn Conner (Newfields, N.H.) dove headlong for the ball and knocked it into the left side of the cage for the 1-0 lead. It was his fourth goal of the year and first of the postseason.

Half an hour into the match, the Ducks had not allowed the Monarchs another shot attempt, while they had taken three. Stevens was playing physically with the smaller Methodist squad and earned 10 fouls to MU's two, igniting ire on both sides.

Eirick Nordseth (Steinkjer, Norway) had the first good scoring opportunity for Methodist when he sent a laser about one yard over the Stevens crossbar from the top of the box towards the end of the half.

When the horn sounded to signal the start of halftime, the teams were tied with three shots each and one corner kick each. Fouls remained the most lopsided statistic and stood 10-3.

Just two minutes into the second period, Adler possessed the ball about 30 yards outside the Methodist goal. The senior dribbled diagonally through three Monarch defenders and right-footed a strike into the side netting for a big insurance tally early in the second half.

Stevens held the Monarchs without a shot over the 27-minute period between the end of the first period and until 26:05 showed on the scoreboard in the second.
Off of a corner, Joe Cellitti (Mendham, N.J.) put a header on goal, but the shot was saved by a Monarch defender manning the far post to keep it a two-goal game with 22 minutes remaining in regulation. It was the best chance for either side over the rest of the contest.

The Ducks continued to press Methodist, allowing just six total shots in the match. The game became quite hotly contested in the final minutes, as the sides combined for 28 fouls – double the amount of shots taken in the game. The teams also accumulated a total of five yellow cards.

Stevens will advance to the second round of the NCAA Championship, where they will play the winner of the Wesleyan University – Haverford College match at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

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