Dickinson’s quest for final four ends in heartbreak

Dickinson’s quest for a first ever berth into the final four of NCAA Division III men’s soccer came agonizingly close for the second year in a row but a penalty shootout was their downfall this time around.

Last year they ended up on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller with Washington & Lee but on Sunday afternoon against Emory neither team was able to find the back of the net through 110 minutes. The Red Devils sure came close to it though.

Dickinson outshot Emory 14-6 and had six of those shots on target but were unable to find a breakthrough. They took a 2-1 lead after two rounds of the penalty shootout but a pair of misses opened the door for Emory to take the 4-3 victory in kicks and join Trinity, Tufts and St. Olaf in the men’s final four.

The season ends for Dickinson with an unbeaten record of 16-0-8, a Centennial Conference title and the deepest run of any Division III team from the greater Philadelphia area.

Head coach Jorge Chapoy loses plenty of firepower from the team with West Chester natives Ethan Jarden and Johnny Dietrich both out of eligibility along with leading goal scorer Saul Iwowo and midfield enforcer Luke Finkielstein but he’ll have a number of starters returning as well to make another go at getting over the Elite 8 hump.

In addition to the absence of any local teams in the final weekend, the four remaining men’s teams also don’t have any local players on their rosters. Tufts and St. Olaf meet at 3 p.m. followed by Emory and Trinity at 6:30 p.m. at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va. on December 5