CARLINVILLE, IL – The Principia men's soccer team came into the final game of the regular season at Blackburn College needing a win to guarantee a spot in the upcoming SLIAC Tournament. A loss or tie to the Beavers on Tuesday would mean the Panthers would need help from other teams to qualify.
Principia also came in needing to avoid bookings from the ref as receiving three yellow cards or one red card in the game would make the team ineligible from postseason play due to accumulation of cards during the conference season. Despite these pressures and playing against an eliminated team with nothing to lose, the Panthers were able to play a disciplined game and come away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The Beavers scored quickly in the 4th minute to go up 1-0, but a Blackburn foul in the box a few minutes later gave Principia a penalty kick. A tremendous diving save by Blackburn's keeper on the PK briefly kept the Panthers off the score sheet. However, a couple minutes later, Principia was able to equalize when a pass across the box from
Wizzy Afrani found
Effenberg Joya on the backdoor for a tap in goal.
The game-winning goal came just two minutes into the second half when
Jonathan Keller made an impressive run up the sideline, beat his defender, and fired the ball over the top of the charging keeper and just under the bar. The Panther defense held strong the rest of the game to secure the win. Principia goalkeeper
Edgar Cartagena finished with four saves.
Principia will be the #5 seed in the SLIAC Tournament and will travel to Fulton, Missouri to take on #4 seed Westminster College on Saturday at 4:00 PM. Principia students, faculty, and staff who would like to attend the game can get in free. Otherwise, tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children aged 5-16. You can also watch the live stream found on the team's schedule page.
