NEWARK, NJ – Underdog Staten Island knocked top-seeded Rutgers-Newark out of the ECAC Metro D-III Men's Soccer Championship with a bit of luck and a flawless performance in the shootout round.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

After the teams played to a 1-1 double-overtime tie, senior defender Giovanni Cortese capped a five-for-five shootout effort by the Dolphins (11-10-1) after senior goalkeeper Ahmed El-Ghareib made a diving stop to set up the decisive kick.

The Scarlet Raiders (14-8-1) outshot the visitors, 19-12, and forged a 10-4 advantage in corner kicks, but El-Gahreib made four saves to help send the match into extra sessions.

CSI, the eighth seed, reached overtime when Rutgers-Newark rookie goalkeeper Matt Broomall mishandled a looping cross from the deep on the right side by Dolphin junior defender Ryan Miller in the 20th minute.  Broomall finished with three saves.

Scarlet Raider senior forward William Munoz put away a cross from the left side by sophomore midfielder Diego Moraes in the 66th minute to level the score, but Rutgers-Newark could not find the net again. 

Senior Lirim Begai, freshman Brandon Cadmen, and sophomores Christian Chirinos and Alfonso Castaneda got shots past Broomall in the shootout following successful tries by junior Harrison Wagner, Moraes, junior Steven Fawzy and senior Nick Kyprianou for the Raiders to set up the decisive set of tries.

El-Ghareib guessed correctly and dove hard and low to his right to block a crisp try by senior midfielder Gabriel Avans before Cortese hammered the final shot into the back of the net.

The Dolphins advance to Saturday's semifinal round against the winner of tomorrow night's Ramapo and New York University opening round contest.

The loss ended an outstanding season for the Raiders who set a program record for overall wins and victories within the New Jersey Athletic Conference.