#6 Firebirds Earn Come-from-behind Victory Over #3 Redhawks to Advance to Semifinal

Rochester, NY - #6 District of Columbia men's soccer team pulled off the upset over #3 Roberts Wesleyan University securing a thrilling come-from-behind victory 3-2 in the first round of the ECC Championship. With goals from All-Conference selections Ignacio Lopez, Ignacio Pericet, and Santiago Gordillo Martinez, the Firebirds completed a comeback to move on to the semi-final round of play against #2 Mercy University on Sunday.

Roberts Wesleyan started strong with two quick goals by Myles Palmer, who scored in the 7th and 8th minutes, assisted by Tamas Nagy. UDC responded in the 34th minute when Ignacio Lopez scored an unassisted goal off a free kick right outside of the box, cutting the lead to 2-1 going into halftime.

The Firebirds came out of the break with renewed energy. In the 49th minute, Ignacio Pericet equalized with a goal, assisted by George Shaw. Just minutes later, Santiago Gordillo Martinez headed in what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 55th minute, after Lopez sent a corner kick into the box. 

Key Performances

• Ignacio Lopez scored his fourth goal of the season and provided a key assist for the game-winner.
• Santiago Gordillo Martinez scored his sixth goal of the season, sealing the victory for UDC.
• Giovanni Llamas, UDC's goalkeeper, made 7 crucial saves to keep the Firebirds in the match.

Satistics

• Shots: UDC 10, Roberts Wesleyan 20
• Shots on Goal: UDC 7, Roberts Wesleyan 10
• Saves: UDC 7, Roberts Wesleyan 4
• Corner Kicks: UDC 9, Roberts Wesleyan 5
• Fouls: UDC 11, Roberts Wesleyan 15

The Firebirds (6-7-4, 3-4-1 ECC) are headed back to the ECC semifinal for the second consecutive year and are on a five game unbeaten streak. They will head to #2 Mercy on Sunday to compete with a  1:00pm kick-off.