Francis Marion Rallies To Beat Carson-Newman In Double Overtime

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Junior Kyle Clinton (Clearwater, Fla.) tapped home a free ball in front of the Carson-Newman net in the 102nd minute, capping a furious Francis Marion rally as the Patriots knocked off home-standing Carson-Newman in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament.

FMU (14-3-2) rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final 30 minutes to force overtime and advance.

Junior Alden Brooks (Gastonia, N.C.) tied the match in the final minute of regulation when his shot from the top of the box was deflected twice before finding its way into the net. The two team would play a scoreless first overtime before the Patriots grabbed the game-winner.

C-N controlled the first 60 minutes before letting an opportunity to advance slip away.

Carson-Newman grabbed its first goal of the match in the 21st minute when junior Omar Cooke (Roanoke, Va.) stroked a left footed shot past Patriots keeper Clark Richeson (Mansfield, Tex.) from 20 yards out.

C-N would add to its lead just over a minute later as freshman Robbie Hill (Middlesborough, England) took a header from senior Carl Ferriera (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and slid it into the back of the net for the Eagles 2-0 lead.

The Eagles would grab their third goal of the match early in the second half when senior Marcus Cabralis (Trinadad and Tabago) drove home the rebound on a Hill shot to put the score at 3-0.

Francis Marion would cut into the Eagle lead in the 61st minute as junior Kyle Clinton (Clearwater, Fla.) scored on a penalty kick after a hand ball by Anthony Chiappetta (Morristown, Tenn.) in the box.

FMU would cut the Eagle lead to one in the 74th minute as sophomore Chris Foltanski (Long Valley, N.J.) fed freshman Adrian Sikorski (Inglewood, Ont., Can.) who drove a shot through Carson-Newman keeper Jordan Moore (Hendersonville, Tenn.) for the Patriots second goal in 13 minutes.

The Eagles outshot FMU 15-14 in a physical match that featured 23 fouls and five yellow cards.

Francis Marion advances to face Tusculum on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Field in Greeneville, Tennessee. Carson-Newman's season ends at 11-5-2.

Carson-Newman Head Coach Allen Vital

"We didn't let up as much as we just didn't finish. We had some opportunities to put it out of reach and didn't take advantage...Credit Francis Marion for coming back. They never gave up and battled to the very end."

Francis Marion Head Coach Kevin Varnado

"It was a really great game. Carson-Newman did what they were supposed to in an NCAA game. (Omar) Cooke had an incredible first goal...We got a break on the first PK and were able to build momentum from there. This is a stunning win...This is a tough way for Carson-Newman to end their season, especially the seniors."