SNHU still kicking in NCAA tournament

MANCHESTER – Two diving saves from Southern New Hampshire University keeper Joey Kapinos helped the Penmen survive a shootout in the first round of the NCAA East Region Division II Tournament last night at Larkin Field.

The third-seeded host battled No. 6 Southern Connecticut State University to a scoreless tie, but advanced by winning the penalty kick shootout, 4-3, with the sophomore keeper stopping the second and fourth Owls' shots.

SNHU (13-4-2) will host a second-round match against second-seeded Wilmington (Del.) University (19-2-1) -- a team they beat 1-0 in the fourth game of the season -- tomorrow at at 1 p.m.

►NCAA Div. II Men's Soccer Championship Bracket

Last night, the Penmen controlled play for 110 minutes of play, outshot the opposition, 21-5, but couldn't find the back of the net until the penalty kick session. Then they went four-for-four on shots from Richard Kentish, Jayme Kapinos, Michael Adam and Patrick Hamilton.

"It all came down to focus and the ability to do anything you want," said Joey Kapinos, the competitive intensity glowing in his eyes following the team's postgame celebration involving a majority of the 339 spectators.

To catch penalty shots, Joey Kapinos dove right and extended quickly enough to actually catch the ball. He made one save during play.

"Once we got into penalty kicks I knew we would advance," said Joey Kapinos, who started in net as Sean Lambert, the Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year was ineligible to play due because of a previous red card violation.

The Penmen roster includes nine players from New Hampshire, including the team's second- and third-leading scorers, junior Danny Hernandez of Salem and Ethan Lapierre of Manchester.

Southern New Hampshire University's Adrian Schippers, center, is squeezed by Southern Connecticut State University players. (MARK BOLTON)

Hernandez shot over an open net in the 26 minute. Following intermission, he went wide again and then forced the keeper to make a diving save.

During the second half, Kentish headed two corner kick serves over the bar, An Adam Schippers shot forced the Owls keeper to make a one-handed swat save with two minutes left. The Penmen engineered several scoring bids during each overtime.

Southern Connecticut (14-5-2) never really challenged offensively as the Penmen, who surrendered 12 goals all season, produced their 10th shutout. SNHU's offense carried play with multiple pass possessions, while maneuvering for scoring chances.

The only threat occurred in the first half when Kapinos saved a close-range header from Victor Hernandez, who scored twice in the Owls' 2-1 regular season victory over SNHU.