MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- In a matchup that featured two of the top defenses in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship, the Christopher Newport Captains and 18th-ranked SUNY Cortland Red Dragons gave fans every bit of the heavyweight fight anticipated in the opening round of the tournament and more as the teams played to a scoreless draw through double overtime. With the match called a draw, the teams went to a penalty kick shootout where Cortland squeaked by the Captains, 6-5, to advance to the second round.
Senior goalkeeper
Matt Yates registered a memorable performance between the pipes for the Captains to earn the shutout and picked up a number of momentous saves along the way. In the shootout, Yates made a must-have save and extended the Captains opportunity with a highlight-reel play.
Through 110 minutes of action at the MSU Soccer Park on the campus of Montclair State, the Captains had a decisive advantage in possession and had a number of quality offensive chances against the sixth-ranked defense in the country as the Red Dragons entered the game with a 0.501 goals-against average. For the CNU defense, though, the first five of those 110 proved to be the most tenuous.
The Captains averted disaster early as a quick counter attack by the Red Dragons put Yates in danger just two minutes into the game against a one-on-one opportunity. Owen Brant took the shot for Cortland but the senior netminder put himself in the right spot and made a sprawling kick save. Then, less than two minutes later, Cortland snagged an interception that led to another open look in the middle of the field. This time, a low bouncer from outside the box by Jack Pachla was shot on target but Yates made a diving save to his left to keep the Red Dragons off the board.
Things settled down after that with both teams working to create opportunities. CNU handled the possession game, looking to build through passes up the field while Cortland opted for long ball chances with runners through the CNU defense. It led to chances both ways, but the goalkeepers were not challenged until the final five minutes.
As the first half waned, the Captains got a quality opportunity when
Manzi Siibo had an open look off a long punt by Yates. The second ball landed right to Siibo and he immediately looked to take a shot from the middle of the field. His left-footed attempt had good pace but bounced just inches wide right of the goal. Moments later, Siibo did the work to create a corner kick opportunity with two minutes left in the half. The Captains played short to
Ethan Arnolds who crossed to the far post for
Azarya Mickael. Mickael had a shot from inside the box but it was blocked.
The momentum favored the Captains who seemed to frustrate the Cortland defense more through the second half as the Red Dragons committed 12 fouls after halftime.
Michael Hackworth nearly connected on an early play in the second half but Jordan Ott, the Red Dragons goalkeeper made the save.
Yazan Yaghmmour and
Josh Monzon added hard rips that ricocheted off of Cortland defenders but the offensive movement was clearly in favor of the Captains already in the first ten minutes of the second half.
Cortland did have their chances, as well, but Yates made two more brilliant saves to keep the game scoreless. In the 65th minute, Yates had to make a split-second decision on a header from close range and knocked it away. Then, in the 8th minute, Cortland found a loose ball in the box that allowed a close range bullet but Yates ranged over to stone another attempt on frame.
In total, the senior from Virginia Beach made seven saves through the 110-minute performance and picked up his third career shutout.
Once the game moved into the shootout, the pressure mounted even further.
Joe Summerfield started things off with a make for the Captains and Yates guessed correctly on the first Cortland attempt but it whistled in just wide of his mitts. After Ott made a save on the Captains' next attempt, Yates needed to match his counterpart to keep the Captains knotted at one-goal apiece. Pachla addressed the ball and shot to Yates' left and the senior goalkeeper made a full-out diving save to turn away the chance and keep the score level.
The next four shooters for both teams would convert, despite exceptional play by the goalkeepers. Both Ott and Yates made contact with two more shots, but the power of both allowed them into the goal. For the Captains,
Ethan Arnolds,
Yazan Yaghmmour, and
Colin Skwirut, with a nifty touch right down the middle, converted for the Captains. Moving into extra kicks, it was senior
Michael Hackworth first for CNU. Hackworth stepped toward the ball and caught Ott off-guard with a hesitation and buckled his knees for a make into the left. Cortland evened again, though, and with a CNU miss, Cortland clinched in the seventh attempt, 6-5.
It marks the fourth time in 11 NCAA Tournament games since head coach
Justin Chezem has taken over that the Captains have been stretched to overtime. It is also the second time CNU has been taken to a shootout and the first since a scoreless draw against Swarthmore on November 17, 2019 in the second round.
The CNU defense included full-time performances from juniors
Carson Friedlein,
Declan Karney, and senior
Yazan Yaghmmour.
Jackson Carlyon played 93 minutes while the midfield got 103 minutes from
Colin Skwirut and 102 out of MIchael Hackworth.
Manzi Siibo led the team with three shots, putting two on frame, and Hackworth added three shots with one on target.
For the Captains, the season comes to a close with an 11-2-3 overall record and ends an impressive streak of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances with at least one win. It was the sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in seven seasons under Coach Chezem.
