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Brooklyn, NY -- It a match that played out like a carbon copy of its semifinal win Friday, top-seeded LIU Brooklyn survived its second straight PK shootout and walked away as the 2015 NEC Men's Soccer Tournament champion after playing to a 2-2 deadlock with second-seeded Saint Francis U in Brooklyn.  The Blackbirds, behind the clutch goalkeeping of Tournament MVP Logan Keys (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), won the shootout, 3-1, to claim their first NEC crown since 2004.

Both teams traded goal scoring opportunities early in the first half.

Saint Francis U (11-5-4) had a chance on a free kick in the 14^th minute that was answered by Keys and then a corner in the 17^th minute that Keys punched away.
 
LIU (11-5-4) answered back with a number of chances of their own. In the 20^th minute, Romario Guscott (Kingston, Jamaica/Evander Child) sent a shot to the far side of the goal that was stopped by the hand of a diving Marcus Rojas (Fremont, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory). Just four minutes later, NEC Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen (Greve, Denmark/Brondby Gymnasium) took a free kick for the Blackbirds that was once again turned away by Rojas. The best chance in the first half for LIU Brooklyn came in the 26^th minute when Filip Nordström (Gothenburg, Sweden/Solna Gymnasium) sent a cross into the box for a header by Guscott that was stopped by Rojas.
 
In the 29^th minute, the Red Flash broke through when Conner Rezende (Davie, Fla./University School at Nova Southeastern) fired a shot to the far post for his second goal in as many tourney games. The first half would end with Rezende’s goal being the only tally.
 
The Red Flash held on to the one-goal edge until the 59^th minute when Jacob Smith (Cedar Park, Texas/Vista Ridge) crossed the ball into the box that was touched in by a sliding Guscott for his seventh goal of the season.

LIU Brooklyn would add another goal in the 76^th minute when Hansen capitalized on a loose ball in the box and fired it into the back of the net to give the Blackbirds a 2-1 advantage.
 
Just a minute later, the Red Flash answered when Rezende took a shot from just outside the box that deflected off of a Blackbird defender and into the net for his second goal of the game.
 
After 20 minutes of scoreless play in overtime, the game would be decided in penalty kicks, just like Friday’s LIU-SFBK semifinal. After the two teams traded goals, Keys made back-to-back saves in the shootout and was helped out by goals from Hansen, Nordström and captain Tanner Sica (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North). After SFU's final shot went wide, the wild celebration at LIU Field began as the Blackbirds head to their first NCAA Tournament since 2004.
 
Overall, LIU enjoyed an 8-7 shots on goal advantage. Rojas made six saves for the Red Flash while Keys made five for the Blackbirds, plus two saves in the shootout for the second consecutive game.
 
The NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer announcement will air on Monday, November 16^th at 1:00 pm ET on NCAA.com. Watch the Men’s College Cup Selection Show here.
 
2015 NEC Men's SoccerAll-Tournament Team
Logan Keys, LIU Brooklyn (Tournament MVP)
Naeem Charles, LIU Brooklyn
Jacob Smith, LIU Brooklyn
Rasmus Hansen, LIU Brooklyn
Logan Keys, LIU Brooklyn
Marcus Rojas, Saint Francis U
Francis de Vries, Saint Francis U
Conner Rezende, Saint Francis U
Brenden Alfery, Robert Morris
Matt Fonagy, Robert Morris
Vincent Bezecourt, St. Francis Brooklyn
Harry Odell, St. Francis Brooklyn

FRIDAY11.13.15semifinals
Match 1		#2	Saint Francis U	2		#3	Robert Morris	1	FINAL	Box | Recap | Highlights
Match 2		#1	LIU Brooklyn	1		#4	St. Francis Brooklyn	1	FINAL (LIU 4-3 in PKs)	Box | Recap | Highlights
Sunday11.15.15championship
Match 3		#1	LIU Brooklyn	2		#2	Saint Francis U	2	FINAL (LIU 3-1 in PKs)	Box | Recap | Highlights