Penalty Kick Victory Sends Pioneers To Conference Semifinals

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's soccer team (12-1-5) played Salisbury (7-5-5) to a 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals in the 2023 Coast-to-Coast Conference Tournament. The Pioneers advanced to Friday's semifinals via a 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks.

The Pioneers had most of the chances in the first half, attempting five shots compared to just one for the Sea Gulls. Salisbury turned away both shots on frame, including a team save to keep UW-Platteville off the board.

The play was more even in the second half, with the Sea Gulls leading in shots 5-4. Sophomore goalkeeper Seth Aiken made a pair of saves to keep the game scoreless, and the game went to overtime scoreless following an injury delay late in the half.

In the two overtime periods, UW-Platteville attempted five total shots, three of which ended on target. Salisbury goalkeeper Skyler McCarthy saved all three and after 110 minutes, the game moved into penalty kicks.

The Seagulls opened the PK portion with a make, but sophomore Sebastian Carranza answered for the Pioneers. Aiken turned away Salisbury's second chance, and freshman Justin Williams put UW-Platteville ahead with a successful attempt. After the Seagulls scored in the third round, junior Konrad Ziaja made it 3-2 in favor of the Pioneers. Neither team converted in the fourth round, and freshman Brady Harwood secured the PK win for UW-Platteville with his fifth-round goal.

For the match, the Pioneers outshot the Seagulls 14-7 and 6-2 in shots on goal. Senior Jack Gentilli and Williams tied for the team lead with three shots apiece, while sophomores Ethan Dietrich and Daxton Foote each added two.

The Pioneers will face second-seeded Christopher Newport in the Coast-to-Coast Semifinals on Friday afternoon from Santa Cruz, California. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. CT.