Exciting finishes have become the hallmark of the men’s soccer team, which forced three sudden-death penalty kick shootouts in four playoff games in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments.

After compiling a 13-3-2 record during the regular season, the second-seeded Bears faced off against C.W. Post in the NYCAC tournament. Although they played tight throughout 90 minutes of regular play and two overtimes, the Bears lost after a round of game-deciding penalty kicks.

But the thrilling contest was only a harbinger of the excitement to come. The Bears’ strong season record earned an invitation to the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament for the second time in three years. After defeating Slippery Rock University 1-0, the 12th-ranked Bears played conference rival Dowling, ranked third in the country, for the Northeast Regional championship and the right to compete in the NCAA’s Elite Eight.

It was NYIT all the way until Dowling tied the game 2-2 with less than four minutes remaining. The teams played through two scoreless overtimes and headed into sudden death. Just a few kicks later, the Bears emerged victorious; now on their way to the Elite Eight. As an added bonus, graduate student Peter Antoniades set a new NYIT record for most goals in a season with 26.

The Bears traveled to Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, N.H., for their next game. The winner would advance to the NCAA Final Four. With the temperature hovering at the freezing mark, NYIT and Franklin Pierce kept the game close with a 1-1 tie through regulation and two overtimes. Once again, it would be penalty kicks that decided the Bears’ fate. In the end, it was Franklin Pierce that advanced to the Final Four. 

Despite the loss, the Bears’ season was such a success that the team finished with its highest national ranking (eighth), Head Coach Carlos Del Cid was named the NSCAA/Adidas Division II Men’s Northeast Region Coach of the Year, senior Eduardo Anacleto became the first player in men’s soccer history to earn All-American honors, and graduate Peter Antoniades was voted NYCAC Player of the Year.