Central Connecticut Upsets Harvard

Wins First Men's Tournament Game in School History

November 24, 2007

The Central Connecticut men's soccer team became the first men's program in the school's Division I history to win a NCAA Tournament game, upsetting No. 15 Harvard in a 3-2 thriller Saturday at the Crimson’s own Ohiri Field.

Junior Yan Klukowski headed in the game-winner off a feed from senior Jonathan Agbatar in the 84th minute. Senior Andrew Cooper and freshman Connor Smith added goals for the Blue Devils, who are the second team in school history to win an NCAA Tournament game after the women’s soccer program earned a tournament victory in 2003.

The Blue Devils will now face Tulsa in the second round this Wednesday.

The Blue Devils improved to above .500 for the first time this season (9-8-3), coming full circle after a horrific 2-8-2 start. Harvard finished the season at 12-4-2, losing atits home field for just the third time this season despite holding a 17-15 edge in shots and a 15-10 edge in corners Saturday.

But the Crimson couldn’t solve Central Connecticut sophomore goalkeeper Paul Armstrong, who made seven saves, including two in the final seconds, to earn the win.

The Blue Devils never trailed during the contest, as Smith found the net with a header in 22nd minute to light up the visitor's side of the scoreboard. Sophomore Eddie Floyd, who set-up the offense from his back position throughout the game, played a cross to Smith from the left side, and Smith headed it past Crimson senior goalkeeper Adam Hahn to the near post.

Harvard junior John Stamatis registered his second goal of the season in the 37th minute, taking a deflected assist from classmate Marcel Perl to tie the score, 1-1.

Central Connecticut regained the lead 7:38 into the second half. Cooper, who scored the game-winner in CCSU's 1-0 Northeast Conference Championship victory over St. Francis (PA), beat Hahn after a Klukowski corner kick cleanly slid through the box. The Blue Devils had opportunities to extend their advantage in the 61st and 62nd minutes, but Hahn stopped two Klukowski shots, and freshman Johan Rundquist had a shot carom off the cross bar.

Crimson and US striker Andre Akpan tied the game with 14:15 left on the clock. Freshman Alex Chi found the sophomore with a cross to the top of the box, and Akpan beat Armstrong to the lower right corner of goal.

Harvard, ranked 15th in the NSCAA/adidas final regular season poll, had two chances to take its first lead blocked by CCSU defenders before surrendering the game-winner to Klukowski.

Agbatar, who shut down junior Michael Fucito, the Crimson's second leading scorer, on the defensive end of the pitch, played a long ball into Klukowski, who headed it past Hahn.

Harvard senior Matt Hoff tested Armstrong in the final two minutes, but the Central Connecticut keeper made the final of three diving saves after Hoff hit the cross bar at the 88:55 mark. Fucito put a final shot on target for the Crimson, but Armstrong gathered the shot to seal the Blue Devil win.

CCSU will travel to Tulsa to face the Golden Hurricanes, who are tied for ninth in the NSCAA/adidas poll, at 8 p.m. EST contest on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

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