SCRANTON, Pa. – Junior Nick Venziale scored the game-winning goal in a penalty-kick shootout and the Drew University men's soccer team upset top-seeded, 17th-ranked and undefeated University of Scranton in the semifinals of the Landmark Conference Championship tournament Wednesday evening.
 
After the two sides played to a 1-1 tie in regulation, neither team scored in the two 10-minute overtime periods before the fifth-seeded Rangers (11-5-3) won the shootout 5-4.
 
Drew will now visit second-seeded Catholic University – a 3-0 winner over sixth-seeded Lycoming College in the other semifinal – on Saturday at a time to be announced in the conference final. The Rangers will be making their fourth Landmark championship game appearance and their first since 2021.
 
Junior Donovan Friedhoff collected a season-high eight saves for the Rangers, who overcame a red card with six minutes left in the second overtime.
 
In the shootout, each team scored in the first three rounds, with the Rangers receiving tallies from sophomore Turkcan Curak, senior James Cahill, and freshman Lucas Czerniak.
 
Scranton's Alex Kozdron blasted Scranton's fourth PK off the crossbar before junior Nate Keller cashed in for Drew to make it 4-3. But the Royals scored in the fifth round before freshman Matt Munoz had his shot sail high, sending it to a sixth round.
 
The hosts found the pipe once again when Drew Paxson's attempt glanced off the crossbar. Venziale then stepped up and delivered a shot into the lower-left corner, setting off a jubilant Ranger celebration on the field.
 
It was 11 years to the day since Drew's last PK shootout – a 3-1 loss to Merchant Marine following a scoreless draw in the 2014 Landmark Conference semifinals.
 
The Rangers became just the second team the entire season to score a goal against the Royals when junior Andrew Dunne struck in the sixth minute. Scranton (12-0-6) had yielded one goal entering the match, which came all the way back on Sept. 13 versus Rowan University. The Royals had posted 13 consecutive shutouts prior to the match and entered the night leading Division III in goals-against average (.059), save percentage (.976), and shutouts (16).
 
Senior Ryan Fischer initiated the goal for Drew, launching a throw-in from the right side into the box. Five consecutive headers would ensue, starting with two from Scranton defenders. Dunne then headed a quick pass to Curak, whose header shot was headed down by the Royals. Dunne recovered the ball and threaded a left-footer through three defenders and inside the right post for his third goal of the season.
 
Scranton would go on to outshoot the Rangers 9-3 in the opening half, but Friedhoff stopped all five Royal shots on goal, including a leaping stop midway through the period.
 
The Royals pulled even on a goal from James Mayo in the 58th minute and racked up a 13-2 shot advantage in the second stanza. However, Friedhoff collected his final three saves in the half, including a diving deflection on a close-range shot with Scranton on a breakaway in the 82nd minute.
 
Dunne nearly scored his second goal late in the match, but a rip from the top of the box off another throw-in drifted just high.
 
Scranton also missed just high on a shot from point-blank range in the 89th minute.
 
The Rangers clamped down defensively in the two OT periods, when they prevented the Royals from taking a shot.