Courtesy of Erin Harvey, Wilmington SID

MANCHESTER, NH (November 14, 2009) -- The second-seeded Wildcats of Wilmington University saw their magical season come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as they fell 1-0 in heartbreaking fashion to the third-seeded Penmen of Southern New Hampshire University in double overtime. The game was played at Larkin Field on the campus of Southern New Hampshire in a steady, driving rain.

Wilmington, ranked 13th nationally in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll, was making its first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Soccer East Regional Tournament, while Southern New Hampshire (ranked 22nd), was making its 15th appearance in NCAA postseason play. The Penmen (14-4-3) now advance to the NCAA East Regional Final next weekend, where they will take on the winner of Le Moyne College and Franklin Pierce University.

The two teams battled through over 100 minutes of scoreless play before Southern New Hampshire was finally able to break through. In the 103rd minute, Michael Adam got off a corner kick that was headed home by PJ Burnette to send the Penmen off with the thrilling 1-0 victory.

The Wildcats had a few chances to score in regulation, but were unable to find the back of the net. Their best opportunities came when two shots found iron. In the first half, a shot by sophomore Nickalus McDonald clanked off the crossbar, and later in the second half, senior forward Sargbah Tarpeh found himself just as unlucky as his attempt knocked off the post.

Junior goalkeeper Duhan Malali (14-1-1) was outstanding in net for Wilmington, as he recorded six saves. Joey Kapinos had one save for the Penmen. Southern New Hampshire out-shot the Wildcats by a 19-7 margin and held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Wilmington’s Sargbah Tarpeh, Fatoma Turay, Dave Dease, and Tony DiVirgilio were named to the Regional All-Tournament Team for their play.

The game saw the college careers of Wilmington’s five seniors come to an end, including CACC Player of the Year, Sargbah Tarpeh. Tarpeh ends his career as the most decorated soccer player in school history. Also playing their last game for the green and white were All-CACC midfielder Fatoma Turay, All-Conference defender Dave Dease, and midfielders Probyn Allen and Jose Coronado.

Wilmington ends the 2009 campaign with a stellar 19-3-1 overall record, including a perfect 11-0 mark in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). The season saw many highs, including the highest national ranking in school history (9th), highest regional ranking in program history (1st), and six members honored with All-Conference awards. Head Coach Nick Papanicolas was named CACC Coach of the Year, and the squad claimed the CACC regular season title.