Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's soccer team played a man down for nearly the length of a regulation soccer match and was out-shot 26-3, and yet the Bullets put forth a super-human effort against third-ranked York (Pa.) College before a well-struck ball by a first-team All-American found the back of the nylon with just 27 seconds remaining in the second overtime period, giving the Spartans a 1-0 victory under the lights at Clark Field.
Gettysburg (2-2-2) matched up with its second top-five foe in a week and after giving Messiah College all it could handle in a scoreless tie on Sept. 10, the Bullets did the same against York (6-0-0) on Tuesday night. With the score remaining empty through 28 minutes of play, the Spartans appeared to have their first prime scoring opportunity as leading scorer Kemal Nuspahic gained control of the ball behind the defense and raced to a one-on-one situation with senior goalkeeper
Adam Finkel (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill). Finkel came out to meet the charging Spartan and stopped the attempt, but in doing so upended Nuspahic just outside the top of the box, earning a red card from the official and putting Gettysburg down a man.
York's ensuing direct kick was on target, but new Bullet keeper
Jeff Greenlaw (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) caught the attempt. The Spartans put two more shots on goal in the next three minutes only to have Greenlaw save both to keep zeroes on the scoreboard.
The visitor's offense continued to pepper the goal in the second half, taking 11 shots overall, but once again Greenlaw was up to the challenge with a trio of saves. Each of Gettysburg's starting backs, seniors
Bill Mozet (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) and
Ross Witte (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) and junior
Jeff Sapolsky (Annandale, Va./W.T. Woodson), played a major role in keeping York's talented forward in check as loose balls sent into the box were quickly cleared to midfield. The goal itself also proved an asset as two York shots clanged off the side posts.
Following an uneventful first overtime period, the visitors went on the offensive with three shots in the first 3:49 of the second overtime, including yet another post shot. Gettysburg countered that attack and appeared to be on the verge of forcing a tie with its nationally-ranked foe as the final minute whittled away. As the defense attempted to clear the ball out of its half, the ball bounced away on a missed kick right to York's Jon Ports. The first-team All-American wasted no time unleashing a shot with his left foot from about 30 yards out in the middle of the field. Greenlaw never had a chance as the blast screamed into the top left of the goal with just 27 seconds remaining, giving York the victory.
Greenlaw ended the contest with six saves, while playing the final 81:33 with a man-down defense in front of him. Junior
Ryan Peiffer (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) accounted for two shot attempts, while freshman
Eric Hynes (Far Hills, N.J./Pingry School) took the other.
Ports was one of five Spartans to out-shoot Gettysburg's team, firing six attempts at the goal. Nuspahic took five shots, while Lucas Emil managed four. York goalie Kyle Marks made two saves en route to his fifth shutout of 2008.
Gettysburg will kick off Centennial Conference play this weekend as the team travels to Ursinus College on Saturday, Sept. 20. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.
