Nov. 13, 2011
BOX SCORE
St. LOUIS -- Defending champion and sixth-seeded Xavier pulled off its third upset of the 2011 Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Championship, outlasting second-seeded George Washington on penalty kicks, Sunday afternoon at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the campus of Saint Louis University.
After playing 110 minutes, including two extra sessions of scoreless soccer, the two teams were forced into penalty kicks to decide who would advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers, continuing their dramatic run through the Championship, prevailed, 4-3, to claim their second-straight A-10 title.
Xavier is now 12-4-4 on the season and will make the program's second appearance in the NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. The Musketeers' placement will be determined on Monday, Nov. 14 at 4:30PM ET on NCAA.com. George Washington concludes it 2011 campaign with a 10-6-3 overall record.
The Colonials got on the board first, as Mattia Melillo found the back of net for the fifth time this season off a pass from A-10 Midfielder of the Year, Yoni Berhanu.
George Washington was able to hold off Xavier's ferocious attack until the 78th minute, as freshman defender Garrett Halfhill scored the equalizer - his first career goal - connecting on a pass from sophomore midfielder Gino DePaoli.
Xavier had multiple opportunities during the match, outshooting George Washington, 23-7, while also holding the advantage on corners, 5-2.
ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
John McCarthy, La Salle
Jason Plumhoff, La Salle
Aidan Kirkbride, Charlotte
Brendan Lafferty, George Washington
Farnhan Khan, George Washington
Mattia Melillo, George Washington
Yoni Berhanu, George Washington
Luke Spencer, Xavier
Gino DePaoli, Xavier
James Queree, Xavier
Adar Cohen, Xavier - Most Outstanding Player
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976, is currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.