SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - After an exhilarating 110 minutes of soccer between Union and Ithaca weren't enough in the Liberty League semifinals at College Park Field Friday night, a save by first-year Brayden Milbrandt on the final Union penalty kick clinched the victory and a spot in the championship game for the visiting Bombers.
 
Neither team was able to formulate a goal in the 90 minutes of regulation play before a more defensive overtime period worked out to just one shot on goal between the two teams. The tide  changed for each team in the penalty kicks, with each side finding the back of the net on their first four attempts. After Ithaca made it 5-5 from the spot, Milbrandt came up with the clutch stop on Union's fifth attempt to seal the victory.
 
It was an even first half to begin the game for both sides, with Union outshooting Ithaca 4-2, but each side only registering one shot on target. First-year Marco Perugini led the way for the Garnet Chargers with three of those shots, including the one on net.
 
Perugini would come up with the best opportunity to score for either side in the contest in the second half. With 12:36 on the clock, the first-year would make an impressive run from midfield towards the Ithaca goal, and would take a one-touch pass from junior Wyatt Goldfisher on a give-and-go just inside the top of the box and ring the Ithaca crossbar.
 
Union would fire seven shots in the overtime period, and had an opportunity to take the lead off a free kick from senior Christian Rufo with a minute and a half left in overtime. Rufo would send his serve into the Ithaca box just inside the offensive midfield line, but consecutive shots by Goldfisher, senior Luca Richo, and junior Alan Daniel were all blocked.
 
After being sprung into action with 30 minutes left in the contest, senior goalkeeper Sean Speck was admirable in the Union net. After not seeing game action in almost a month, the senior came on and made four saves in his 50 minutes to keep his side even with Ithaca.
 
In the penalty kicks, Ithaca went first, and immediately made their mark with a goal from Thaib Adibi. Perugini responded in eloquent fashion, as did senior Kurt Mahlke, junior Lucas Crowley, and junior Ethan Klopfer after four Bombers found the back of the net.
 
Gustav Bauerle made Ithaca's fifth penalty kick to again put Union up against the wall, and Milbrandt guessed correctly on first-year Noah Goldstein's attempt, making the save to give Ithaca the victory.
 
Union (8-6-5, 5-2-2) wraps up their second season under Head Coach Matt Brown with their most successful season since 2019, when the program won 10 games. The five conference wins was Union's most since 2012, and the playoff berth was the program's first since 2015.