WATERBURY, Conn. – A goal by Jerome Bland with just 35 seconds left in overtime provided the difference as the Post University men's soccer team was eliminated in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) semifinals with a 1-0 loss to Bloomfield Wednesday afternoon at Municipal Stadium.
 
"I feel awful for the seniors. They have all put in a tremendous amount of effort this season to get us to this point, on the brink of an NCAA Tournament bid, and now it looks like that opportunity is gone," said head coach Ted Haley.
 
Both teams were very physical all day as fouls outnumbered shots early on. In the 23^rd minute, Bloomfield goalkeeper Wilson Cisneros earned a yellow card that gave the Eagles a penalty kick. Senior Tiago Martins (Lamas de Olo, Portugal) penalty shot was turned away by Cisneros to keep the game scoreless.
 
Junior goalkeeper Jon Hanlon (Centereach, N.Y.) came up big in the second half with three saves, including two in the final minutes of regulation. The Eagles had just one shot on goal in the second half, but had many chances on set pieces in the Bloomfield zone.
 
Martins had a chance to put the game away in the overtime period, but his shot was just wide. The Bears scored the winner after a shot by Shaunavon DeSouza was saved by Hanlon. The ball hit the top of the crossbar and stayed in the box as Bland ran in for an easy header.
 
"I'm am very proud of the effort all our guys put up today against a very physical Bloomfield team. We fought from start to finish and had chances, but were unable to convert on any of our set pieces," added Haley.
 
Martins, junior Abdallah Bah (Kenema, Sierra Leone), and graduate student Anthony Asante (Bronx, N.Y) each had two shots for Post. Hanlon made seven saves.
 
Post now sits at 12-6-1 overall and will await its fate for an NCAA or ECAC Tournament bid. Bloomfield will play Chestnut Hill for the CACC Championship on Saturday at LaMoy Field at 11 a.m.