Box Score 

WAYNE, N.J. – For the second straight day, the 22nd-ranked William Paterson men's soccer team (13-5-4) needed to go to penalty kicks to decide the outcome, but the extra effort was worth it for the Pioneers as they won their first ECAC Men's Soccer Metro Region Tournament championship. After playing to a 1-1 double-overtime draw against third-seeded Rutgers-Newark (10-9-2), top-seeded William Paterson took the title with a 4-3 advantage in the penalty-kick shootout session.

Leading by one entering the fifth and final round for the Scarlet Raiders, WP junior goalkeeper Dan Peragallo (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) made a sprawling save to his left, stopping Chris Roncancio's shot and giving William Paterson its first postseason championship since winning the 1975 New Jersey Athletic Conference title.  William Paterson sophomore back Matthew Heitmann (Westwood, N.J./St. Joseph Regional) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Sophomore Julian Valerio (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) started the shootout for the Pioneers, but had his attempt saved by Newark's Kyle Perdelwitz. However, the Scarlet Raiders could not take advantage, as Peragallo knocked away Jorge Garcia's shot, making it 0-0 after the first round. Ryan Miller's (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) shot was good to the upper-left corner, and Christien Vlahinich converted to the lower-right, for a 1-1 score after two rounds.

Junior Jonathan Donado (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) blasted his shot just under the middle of the crossbar, and Dominic Principato tucked his attempt inside the right post, making it 2-2.

Sophomore Ambrogio Pipitone (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) beat Perdelwitz inside the right post, and Dan Siconolfi was successful on his shot to the center of the goal, deadlocking the shootout at 3-3 after round four. 

Heitmann, who had clinched the berth in the final with his fifth-round PK against Farmingdale State Nov. 16, calmly stepped up and drilled his attempt to the middle of the frame for a 4-3 edge. That set the stage for Peragallo's second save of the shootout, this one a diving stab at a ball aimed for the right post.

It what was an action-packed, end-to-end contest for most of the night, as each team had excellent scoring opportunities but nothing to show for it during the first 78 minutes. Rutgers-Newark was the first team to finally break through, when William Paterson failed to clear an Estiven Benitez corner kick. Jeff Vazquez got on the end of the skidding ball and belted it home for his 18th goal of the year and a 1-0 lead with 11:42 remaining in regulation.

The Pioneers answered almost immediately, earning a penalty kick just 37 seconds later. After a lengthy delay due to the issuing of two yellow cards to the Scarlet Raiders, Valerio sent the PK into the upper-left corner of the frame and tied the match at 1-1 with 11:05 on the clock.

Vlahinich had a shot sail just wide of the right post less than two minutes before the end of the second half, and Rutgers-Newark had two more excellent chances during the first overtime period, the first a Garcia free kick from just outside the box that required Peragallo's full extension to swat away, and the second a Vlahinich shot off the post during the final 25 seconds.

The marathon session in 35-degree weather marked the second straight day that the Pioneers were pushed beyond overtime. Rutgers-Newark advanced to the final on PKs, 3-2, against New Jersey City in the semifinals Nov. 15, but due to heavy rains, the Pioneers were forced to postpone their semifinal clash with Farmingdale State until Nov. 16. Trailing 3-1 early in the second half, William Paterson fought back to tie the match and force overtime, eventually advancing 4-2 in the shootout.