Stefano Pantaleo made two big saves as the York Lions defeated the UQTR Patriotes 0-0 (4-3) in penalty kicks in the second consolation semifinal of the 2023 U SPORTS men's soccer championships in Sydney, N.S., Friday afternoon.
The Lions goalkeeper initially made the first save of the penalty kicks on Etienne Bertrand, but was instead given a yellow card for moving off his line early. Bertrand got another chance and made no mistake. Pantaleo would go on to stop both Vincent Lamy and Nicolas Desjardins to give York the win.
Patriots 'keeper Mathieu Lacharite made five saves in regulation, but was not able to get enough stops during penalty kicks to help his team avoid elimination.
Both teams had their chances to take the first lead of the game, but the Lions were the aggressors early on, outshooting the Patriotes 9-3 in the first half and keeping the pressure on UQTR's defence early in the second. The tide turned midway through the final 45 minutes when the momentum shifted in favour of the Patriotes, with eight shots and two on goal in the second half.
York would still finish with 15 shots and five on goal, compared to UQTR's 11 shots and just two on goal.
The Lions will play the STFX X-Men tomorrow at 1 p.m. (Atlantic) for fifth place in the tournament, while the Patriotes' season is officially over.
Nike Team players of the game:
- York: Kelvin Ramirez
- UQTR: Francis Assouyat