GENEVA, N.Y. – A big save by Skidmore goalie Derrick Yam followed by a made penalty shot by forward Austin Okoye propelled the men's soccer team to the Liberty League Championship game, defeating Hobart 5-4 in penalty kicks, after a 1-1 score in 110 minutes of play at Cozzens Field Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Thoroughbreds advance to its second consecutive league championship game, improving their record to 7-6-4 overall. They will travel to face second-seeded Vassar on Saturday, who defeated RPI 3-1 Wednesday. Hobart's record now stands at 9-5-4 overall.
 
"Hobart was fantastic on the day and they played really well," said men's soccer head coach Jeremiah Kneeland. "We hung on for quite a bit. We got the early goal, and sometimes you can score too early, but we will gladly take the result. We trained hard on our penalty kicks during the week but those things can go either way."
 
In a game of many twists and turns, it was Yam and Okoye who put the finishing touches on the contest. With the score tied 4-4 after eight penalty kick rounds, Hobart's Mouhamed Diouf came up to the penalty box. On the ensuing shot, Yam dove to his right to parry the ball away. A few moments later, Okoye fired a high shot, just to the right of diving Hobart keeper Alec Kaminer as the Thoroughbreds mobbed Okoye at the penalty spot.
 
"All I was thinking about was the penalty shot going in, said Okoye. "I felt good about it. I didn't want to let my teammates down, and I liked having the pressure of taking that kick."
 
Kevin Santos got the ball rolling for Skidmore in the 17th minute, scoring his eighth goal of the season on a shot from the top of the box. The Statesmen answered in the second half, as Joseph Escamilla placed a shot just inside the left post, past Yam.
 
In overtime, Alex Ricci had the potential game winner for the Thoroughbreds in the 98th minute, but was called offside after an official review.
 
In penalty kicks, Skidmore trailed 4-3, the weight of the season falling on the right foot of Tim Spenser. He took a risk, calmly sinking the penalty shot right down Broadway, with Kaminer diving, anticipating the wide shot, leading to the heroics by Yam and Okoye.
 
Hobart outshot Skidmore 23-11, including a 13-3 advantage after halftime. Yam had one of the best performances of his career, tallying a career-best 11 saves to keep the game at bay.
 
"I couldn't be any more excited for Yam, said Kneeland. "He was very smart with how he played, and had great positioning. Without his effort, there's no way we would have been able to win."
 
Hobart took 14 corner kicks, to just two for Skidmore. Kaminer made three saves for the Statesmen in goal.