The Principia Men (#1 Seed in SLIAC tournament) took on Westminster (#4 Seed) in the first round and semi-final of the SLIAC tournament on Wednesday night. The two teams played each other five days earlier in the last game of the regular season and both teams came prepared to match the strategies of the opposition.
The intensity of postseason competition was present from the opening whistle. Westminster had most of the possession to start the game. The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the 20
th minute with a goal from Justin Gerdiman, assisted by Collin Murray (Principia 0 – 1 Westminster).
The Panthers responded with strong pressure and hard work that forced turnovers and kept Westminster pinned back. In the 37
th minute, Principia played a ball over the Westminster back line to
Kaden Keller. The Blue Jays' goalkeeper brought down Keller in the box giving Principia a penalty kick.
Kaleb Keller stepped up to the spot, looking for the equalizer. The younger Keller finished confidently to level the score sheet and set the all-time Principia Men's Soccer career goal-scoring record (48 goals). It was an incredible achievement for the Junior forward.
Halftime Score: Principia 1 – 1 Westminster
The Principia Men brought their high pressure into the second half and didn't give the Blue Jays a chance to get into the game. Three minutes into the second half
Kaleb Keller struck again with an outrageous shot from 30 yards out that found the bottom right corner of the goal (Principia 2 – 1 Westminster).
The Blue Jays fought hard with their season on the line for the remaining forty minutes. The tension of postseason soccer was palpable as Westminster continued to attack. The Panthers absorbed the attacks well, giving up only 4 shots on goal throughout the entire match. Goalkeeper
Nick Klusmeyer had a strong game, making three saves. Every player that put in minutes for Principia made a significant impact on the game and it took a collective effort to earn the victory, which sends the men into the SLIAC Playoff Final. The match ended 2-1 in favor of Principia.
The Principia Men will recover quickly and play in the SLIAC Tournament Final on Friday against Spalding University.
