Providence, RI -- The Friars' men's soccer team continued its reversal of fortune this fall by advancing to the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament with a penalty-kick shootout victory on Saturday, November 5, 2005.

PC defeated Seton Hall University, 4-2, in the shootout after the teams had been tied at 2-2 following regulation and two overtime periods. The outcome--officially recorded as a tie--gave PC an overall record of 6-3-8 and advanced the Friars to the BIG EAST semifinals for the second time in three years.

The Friars will play the University of South Florida on Friday, November 11, at 3:30 p.m. at the University of Connecticut.  The winner will advance to play either St. John's University or Connecticut, who will meet in the other semifinal contest later that day.  The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, November 13, at noon at the University of Connecticut.

Coming off a 2004 season in which it lost all 16 of its games, including nine one-goal defeats, PC went undefeated in its first nine games this fall. Their 3-3-4 conference record qualified them for the postseason tournament. They defeated the University of Cincinnati, 2-1, in the first round of the tournament.

Highlights of the regular season included a 3-2 BIG EAST victory at then 25th-ranked Georgetown and a 0-0 conference tie with St. John's, then ranked sixth nationally. PC's other victories came against Maine (4-0), Sacred Heart (2-0), Syracuse (3-2), and Pittsburgh (1-0). The team's three losses all were by one goal, including a 3-2 overtime setback at Connecticut, which was ranked No. 10 in the nation at the time.

The Friars, coached by Chaka Daley '96, played in nine overtime games during the regular season for a school record.

Among the team leaders, goaltender Chris Konopka '07 (Toms River, N.J.) has spearheaded the Friars' strong defensive play in 2005. He recorded four shutouts and posted a goals-against average of 0.96 in regular-season play. Forwards Eoin Lynch '06 (Yarmouth, Maine) and Tim Ritter '09 (Weston, Mass.) and midfielder Ryan Maduro '08 (Bristol, R.I.) have paced the offense. Lynch posted team-leading totals of seven goals and 18 points during the regular season, while Ritter and Madurdo were close behind with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

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