BABSON PARK, Mass. — Coast Guard Academy’s men’s soccer team reached its first NEWMAC championship game Friday, November 6, advancing past top-seeded Babson in a 5–4 penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.
Ryan Gottschalk scored Coast Guard’s equalizer in the second half and converted its deciding shootout attempt, the academy’s official report said. Kai Trager assisted on the tying goal.
Goalkeeper Samuel Linkous stopped Babson’s first shootout attempt, giving the Bears an advantage they protected by converting all five of their kicks. Linkous had also made a close-range save late in regulation to keep the game tied.
Coast Guard completed extra time with 10 players after a second yellow card. The match remains a 1–1 draw in the season record; the shootout determined which team advanced.
The fourth-seeded Bears travel to second-seeded Wheaton for Sunday’s final. The official schedule lists a 1 p.m. start November 8 at Keefe Field in Norton, Massachusetts.