LAFAYETTE HILL, Pa. – The Philadelphia University men's soccer team saw its 2015 season come to a close after being eliminated by Chestnut Hill on penalty kicks, 5-4, in the opening round of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament Monday afternoon at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. The teams played to a 2-2 tie during the 110 minutes of game action.

Philadelphia—the two-time defending CACC champion—ends the season with a record of 8-5-5. Meanwhile, Chestnut Hill (7-6-3) advances to face Wilmington (Del.) in a semifinal round match on Thursday, Nov. 5 at Post University.

The match was scoreless until the Rams were awarded a penalty kick for a Griffin handball inside the penalty area at the 28:45 mark. Angelo Dambalas (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), who was named to the All-CACC first team earlier in the day, calmly took the kick and beat James Jackson for his team-leading seventh goal.

The Ram lead would be short-lived as the Griffins came back to the score at one just 30 seconds later on a Nils Fussen goal after receiving a pass from Nicholas Jaffe.

Chestnut Hill was given a penalty kick of its own after a Griffin forward by pulled down by Philadelphia keeper Ben Sauer (Bel Air, Md./Perry Hall Christian) at 34:02. Jaffe took the shot and put it inside the left post to give Chestnut Hill a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, Philadelphia threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Chestnut Hill defense, attempting 19 shots and getting five corner kicks.

The Rams pressure produced the equalizing goal on a Seiji Rose corner (Toulouse, France/Lycee Climatique et Sportif Pierre de Coubertin) at 69:04. Rose's kick found All-CACC second team selection Ishmaiah Calwrie (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown), who outjumped the defense and flicked the ball with his head into the right side of the net for his fifth goal on 2015.

After an uneventful first overtime session where neither team attempted a shot, Philadelphia outshot Chestnut Hill 3-1 in the second overtime. Sauer and Jackson were not called on to make a save.

The Rams had the early advantage in the penalty kick shootout as Armando Canela (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) scored on his attempt and the Griffins' Joseph Casaletto put his shot well over the bar. After both teams made their next two kicks, Calwrie has his shot stopped by Jackson at the right post and Jaffe hit his attempt to tie the shootout at three.

In the sixth round, Ryan Schroy's (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) was deflected off the crossbar by a diving Jackson to give Chestnut Hill a chance to win. Jeffery Ast beat Sauer, who did go the right way, to the left post to close out the shootout.