Felician Athletics - 10/25/07 MEN'S SOCCER - Felician, Caldwell End Regular Season With 0-0 Draw

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Junior goalkeepers John Plaugic (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) of Caldwell College and Paulo DosSantos (Toronto, Ontario/Sir Oliver Mowat) of host Felician College took turns making difficult saves to protect an eventual 0-0 tie in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men’s soccer action Thursday afternoon at Tryon Field. The match was the regular-season finale for both schools.

The result hurt each team’s positioning in next week’s CACC Tournament. Caldwell (9-5-4, 6-1-2) needed a victory for a chance at a first-round bye. Felician (3-14-3, 2-5-2) would have secured the sixth and final tournament berth with a win, but now needs Post University to defeat Bloomfield College on Friday in order to advance.

Plaugic began the heroics by making a diving, one-handed save of a Boris Shabovta (Manalapan, NJ/John Dewey [NY]) direct kick in the 36th minute, then reacting quickly to stop a Godlove Takyi (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack) header off a cross, also with one hand, on Felician’s first shot of the second half. DosSantos would later please the home crowd by stopping Justin Miller (Monroe, NJ/Monroe), who dribbled in alone on him in the 66th minute, then leaping to tip a Brian Broderick (West Keansburg, NJ/Raritan) laser over the crossbar with 2:54 left in regulation. Plaugic capped the dramatics by diving to his right to deny Conrad Symber (South Amboy, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) in the third minute of overtime.

Each team got off 20 shots for the afternoon, and each keeper made eight saves in earning his shutout. Cougar center back Andrew Fraser (Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer’s) was noteworthy in breaking up several Golden Falcon attacks, while Felician’s back line helped it stave off a 9-2 disadvantage in corner kicks.