By Mikey Domagala
After defeating No. 2 ranked Adelphi University, 3-0, on Thursday, Nov. 16 in Charleston, West Virginia, the No. 1 ranked LIU Post men’s soccer team became the 2017 NCAA Division II East Region Champions.
The team faced No. 3 ranked University of Charleston in the NCAA championship quarterfinal round on Saturday, Nov. 18. The final score was 2-0, with the University of Charleston winning the match.
In the Adelphi game, it took junior midfielder Charlie Le Dula just 22:04 to score the Pioneers’ first goal. Senior midfielder Harry Pearse scored a second goal, four minutes later, in the 26th minute.
Stellar defensive play and six saves from junior goalkeeper Oliver Hessner Hansen held Adelphi scoreless.
Senior forward Lukas Ostermann solidified the victory with a 65th-minute goal, assisted by junior midfielder Vittorio Argeri. Argeri finished with two assists in the match.
In the championship quarterfinal two days later at Schoenbaum Field, the home field of the Charleston Golden Eagles, the Pioneers could not find the back of the net.
Four Pioneer shots on goal were not enough, as Eagles players Robin Lapert and Gabriel Cabral each scored FOR the victory.
The Pioneers finished the 2017 season 18-1-2 (regular season and playoffs) and became Divisional Champions for the third time (2014, 2015, 2017) in four years. They went 10-1 to end the season, outscoring opponents 34-9 in that span.
“[Winning the East Region Championship] is an amazing feeling,” said Le Dula after the Adelphi game. “To do it against our neighbors is an even better feeling.”
De Dula, a junior psychology major from London, England, described the Pioneers’ season as a “fantastic” one. The junior midfielder is now a two-time NCAA Division II East Region Champion and three-time ECC Champion.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, LIU Post’s award-winning student newspaper, www.liupostpioneer.com. The article is republished by Blank Slate Media with the Pioneer.
