MATTHEWS, N.C. - The Lynn Fighting Knights earned their spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship game with a commanding 3-1 win over McKendree in the College Cup semifinals at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex.
The Fighting Knights remain unbeaten this season, improving to 19-0-2 overall, and will make their seventh final appearance in the program's history.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
-
Max Lambertz took a more advanced role and had the first shot of the match resulting in the Fighting Knights' first corner kick less than a minute in
- A low shot from
Tony Gomez resulted in a save by McKendree keeper Christian Herluf
- The Fighting Knights took seven attempts on goal in the opening 19 minutes of the game, while not allowing the Bearcats to contest their net
- Lynn opened the scoring in the 20th minute when
Henry Haferkorn capitalized on a well-delivered corner kick from
Fabian Vyhnalek to the near post, heading it to the far post for a 1-0 lead
- McKendree quickly responded with an equalizer in the 27th minute, leveling the match at 1-1
- The first half ended in a 1-1 tie with Lynn outshooting McKendree 12-2
- Lynn's second goal came in the 49th minute when Vyhnalek initiated a brilliant sequence in the midfield, receiving the ball from the defense
- After a series of quick tiki-taka passes with
Dominik N'gatie and
Luis Kiefer, Kiefer found himself one-on-one with the keeper but unselfishly squared the ball to Vyhnalek, who slotted it home to make it 2-1
- Lynn sealed the victory in the 57th minute with a stunning individual effort from Kiefer
-
Fabio Menzel initiated the play with a perfectly weighted through ball into the half-space, finding Kiefer in stride
- Kiefer showcased his skill as he dribbled past two defenders before rifling a shot into the roof of the net to secure the 3-1 lead
- Lynn switched their focus to protect the lead but still managed to get 14 shots off compared to the Bearcats' six
FIGHTING KNIGHTS STATS:
- Lynn outshot McKendree 26-8, with 10 of those shots on target
- This is Lynn's sixth game where at least 20 shots were registered
- Kiefer became Lynn's top goal scorer this season once again after he scored his seventh goal of the season
- Vyhnalek had a game-high seven shots while bagging a goal and an assist
- He continues to lead the Blue and White in assists, tallying 12 so far in 2024
- Goalkeeper
Luca Clavero made 5 saves to help secure the victory, with a .833 save percentage on the night
- His total is now 45 saves this year with an .804 SV%
- Haferkorn scored his third goal this season
UP NEXT:
- Lynn will rest as they return to Mecklenburg County Sportsplex to face their opponent, No.1 seed Charleston (WV), in the College Cup final on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 3:00 pm
