Bensenville, Ill. – The Robert Morris Men’s Soccer team advanced to the CCAC Conference Tournament semi-final round with a shoot-out victory over fifth seeded Holy Cross College on Saturday, November 3rd. The fourth seeded Eagles are now 12-4-2 on the season and will now face top seeded Cardinal Stritch University on Wednesday, November 7th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Robert Morris jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when leading scorer Gordy Gurson hammered a left-footed shot into the far corner for his 15th goal of the year. The score remained 1-0 at half-time in favor of the Eagles.
The Eagles looked to have put the game away in the 61st minute when Gurson had his shot saved by Holy Cross goalkeeper Victor Navarro, but junior Bobby Hurwitz followed up the play and slammed home the rebound for a 2-0 RMU lead. However, the Saints cut the lead to 2-1 in the 79th minute on goal by Eduardo Berruezo and then tied the game in the 85th minute when Luis Delgado headed home a Garbhan Grant corner kick. Neither team was able to dent the scoreboard in the remainder of regulation or the two overtime periods, despite the Eagles constant pressure on the Holy Cross goal in the extra time.
As a result, the game was to be decided in a penalty kick shoot-out. Holy Cross missed their first two shots while RMU’s Patryk Gorajewski, Monroe Bell Jr., and Gordy Gurson all connected on their shots for a 3-0 lead. Connor Simpson of Holy Cross kept his team alive as he slotted home his shot to trail 3-1 after three rounds of kicks. Freshman Chisom Ogbonna stepped up for the Eagles with a chance for the win, and he slammed his shot through the outstretched hands of Saints’ goalkeeper Victor Navarro to send RMU into the semi-final round.
The Eagles now travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday, November 7th to take on top seeded Cardinal Stritch University. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. at Uihlein Soccer Complex and fans can listen to the game live on the Eagles Sports Network. RMU defeated Cardinal Stritch 1-0 earlier this year and the winner of Wednesday’s game will advance to Saturday’s title game against the winner of #2 Saint Xavier University and #3 Olivet Nazarene University. The CCAC Conference Tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.