GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo men's soccer team earned a trip to the Empire 8 Championship game on Wednesday evening, advancing past Utica with a thrilling penalty kick victory. With the score tied 1-1 after overtime, the Knights headed to penalty kicks, where goalkeeper Max Crothall kept Geneseo's season alive by saving the last two attempts from Utica. The Knights will play host to #2 Brockport on Saturday at 3 p.m., as they compete in the program's first conference championship game since 2006.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Geneseo was the first team to get on the board, finding the back of the net in the 32nd minute behind a well placed header from Jace DiPalo. DiPalo was the first to reach a beautiful cross from Dylan Thody and snuck the header past the goalkeeper to put the Knights ahead 1-0.
• Utica put the pressure on the Knights defense for the remainder of the half, but the Geneseo defense held strong and entered halftime with the 1-0 advantage.
• The Pioneers continued to build momentum throughout the second half, and ultimately broke through the Knights defense with just over a minute left to play in the game.
• Geneseo was out shot in overtime by a margin of 7-3, but the best look of overtime came with under a minute left when Michael Ruggiero nearly made an incredible play on a cross inside the box to score the game-winner.
• Thody led off the penalty kicks with a great goal, but Geneseo found themselves trailing by a goal after their second attempt was saved. Made attempts from Owen Burke, Eric Carnes, and Aidan Lodie kept their hopes alive as Utica came down to their fifth shooter with a chance to win it all. However, Crothall stepped up making a huge diving save to his left to extend the penalty kicks to another round.
• Charlie Sorensen stepped up to open the sixth round of penalty kicks and drilled the shot down the middle, giving Crothall a chance to win the game. The sophomore goalkeeper did just that, diving to his right to save the final attempt from Utica and sending the Knights to the championship game.

QUICK FACTS:

• Geneseo heads to the program's first conference title game since 2006, where they defeated Fredonia.
• DiPalo registered his fifth goal of the season, while Thody tallied his ninth assist of the year for his team-high 35th point.
• Crothall picked up his 10th win of the season, as the Knights recorded their 12th win of the year for the first time since the '06 season.

WHAT'S NEXT? 
Geneseo looks to avenge their defeat in the final regular season game of the year, as they host Brockport in College Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.