Liberty Falls to Stetson in ASUN Quarterfinals

The No. 4 seed Stetson Hatters topped the No. 5 seed Liberty Flames 3-0 in an ASUN Quarterfinal match, Saturday evening at Lipscomb Soccer Complex.

The Hatters took a 1-0 lead on a goal by ASUN Freshman of the Year Nelson Pereira during the 20^th minute and pulled away with two more goals late in the second half for the victory.

Liberty finishes the year 7-9. Stetson moves to 8-6-2 and advances to play No. 1 seed Lipscomb in the ASUN Semifinals on Sunday.

Scoring

20’ – SU – Nelson Pereira (Unassisted)

64’ – SU – Oliver Bryneus (Assisted by Alessandro Gabbani)

83’ – SU – Ajmeer Spengler (Unassisted)

Turning Point|

With the Flames applying pressure on the offensive trailing by one and looking to tie the score, the Hatters broke past the Liberty defense during the 64^th minute to extend their lead to 2-0. Midfielder Alessandro Gabbani forced a turnover in midfield and pushed a pass forward by several defenders to an open Oliver Brynesus. Finding himself, one-on-one with the goalkeeper on the right side of the 18-yard box, Brynesus scored into the open left side to give Stetson a 2-0 lead. 

Key Stats & Notes

• Liberty outshot Stetson, 11-9. The Hatters held a 5-4 edge on shots on goal. Corner kicks were even at four apiece.
• Six Flames attempted a shot in the contest. Liberty forward Gabe Findley led all players in the match with three shots.
• Flames goalkeeper Danny Cordero made two saves in the match. Hatters keeper Jacob Gruber recorded four, including an outstanding deflection on a shot by Findley during the 80^th
• Playing the final game of his Liberty career, Flames defender Malik Smith played the full 90 minutes and finishes the year with the most minutes played, 1,362, of any Liberty player in school history. In his three seasons at Liberty, the defender played in 46 games and was part of the starting 11 on 45 occasions.
• Stetson avenges its loss to Liberty during the regular season. The Flames defeated the Hatters 2-1 in DeLand, Fla., on Sept. 18.