Box Score 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island College
junior Ryan Kelley (Hope, R.I.) headed in the
game's only goal in the 87th minute Saturday afternoon
to give the second-seeded Anchormen a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded
Plymouth State University in the championship game of the 2008
Little East Conference men's soccer tournament.
RIC (12-5-4), which was making its third appearance in the
conference title contest, wins the tournament for the first time in
school history and also heads to the program's first NCAA
Tournament. The Anchormen will find out their opponent when the
NCAA announces the brackets on Monday at 9 a.m. RIC will either
play on Wednesday, Nov. 12 or Friday, Nov. 14.
PSU, which was playing in the championship game for the fifth time,
completes its season with an 8-9-3 overall record. The
Panthers had defeated UMass Boston last Saturday on the final day
of the regular season to get into the tournament, posted a
first-round victory over Western Connecticut on Monday and upset
top-seeded Southern Maine on Wednesday to get to Saturday's final.
It was a very competitive game, which looked to be heading for
overtime late in the second half. Junior defender Kory
Pacheco (Dartmouth, Mass.) intercepted a Plymouth State
clear and lofted a pass that Kelley headed over the outstretched
hands of PSU senior goalkeeper Tyler Shute
(Deerfield, N.H.) for the decisive goal.
Pacheco, who helped hold PSU senior Semir
Mehmedovic (Concord, N.H.), as well as Eastern Connecticut
junior forward Maxim Fantl (East Hartford, Conn.)
in Wednesday's semifinal game, without a goal, was named the
tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Both players are among the
top offensive threats in the LEC.
RIC's 12 wins equals the 2005 edition's total for the second most
in a single season in program history. The Anchormen need one
additional win to tie the 1973 squad's all-time mark.
Junior goalkeeper Justin O'Connor (North
Kingstown, R.I.) made eight stops to earn his eighth shutout of the
year for RIC, needing just one more to tie the program record for
the most in a season. Shute made five saves in a losing effort for
PSU.
The Anchormen have not lost to the Panthers in their last nine
meetings, holding a 7-0-2 mark.
Kelley's goal in the 87th minute snapped a streak of 197
minutes of scoreless action between the two clubs this fall. RIC
and PSU battled to a 0-0 double overtime tie on Oct. 18. Saturday's
was much closer than the previous meeting. RIC held a seven-shot
advantage (20-13), compared to a 31-5 margin three weeks ago.
(Courtesy of Rhode Island College Sports
Information)
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