LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 10, 2010) – The Saint Francis men's soccer team peppered Central Connecticut State with 18 shots, but the two teams battled to a double overtime scoreless tie on Sunday afternoon at the Stokes Soccer Complex.

The Red Flash moved to 6-3-1 overall, and 2-0-1 in the Northeast Conference, while the Blue Devils are now 3-7-1 overall (0-3-1 NEC). SFU will return to action with a pivotal Northeast Conference contest at 7 p.m. next Friday night, at Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are in first place in the league, while Saint Francis is tied for second place.

Both teams had opportunities to score, including a wild scramble in the 18-yard box late in the second half, but both goalkeepers stood their ground. Sophomore Red Flash goalkeeper Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, Va./Gonzaga College) (Herndon, Va. / Gonzaga College) stopped four shots to record his fourth shutout of the season. Anthony Occhialini recorded two saves for the Blue Devils.

Both goalkeepers were the recipient of a defensive save as one of their defenders stopped a shot as the last line of defense.

“Today we lacked the final quality to get a goal,” said Saint Francis head coach Michael Casper. “We dominated at times and got a shutout, but we have to be better in the offensive third to get a goal.”

The Red Flash held an 18-12 advantage in shots, while each team had four corner kicks. Saint Francis was whistled for 16 fouls, and the Blue Devils were called for 12.

SFU had significant opportunities in both overtime periods. Senior Patrick Fleming (Dunedin, New Zealand/Bayfield) (Dunedin, New Zealand), who tied a season high with six shots, had a free kick from 27 yards sail just wide of the goal in the 106^th minute, and junior Kingsley McCleod (Rocky Mount, N.C. / Rocky Mount) had another shot that had previously gone high in the first extra period.

SFU's best chance in the first half came with 3:09 remaining when senior Kyle Driscoll (Albuquerque, N.M/Saint Pius X) (Albuquerque, N.M. / Saint Pius X) headed a shot just wide of the left post. Junior David Butler (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) (Baltimore, Md. / Loyola Blakefield) started the play with a pass into the right corner for sophomore Makala Hairston (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College) (Baltimore, md. / Calvert Hall College). Hairston sent a perfect cross to the far post that Driscoll headed just out of the reach of Occhialini.

The Red Flash had four shots in the first half, including two that Occhialini had to stop.

Both teams had one corner kick, and Saint Francis was whistled for six fouls, while the Blue Devils were called for three.

The Red Flash had the first good scoring opportunity of the second half when Fleming dribbled from midfield to 35 yards out, where he released a hard shot targeted for the upper right corner. However, it went just wide to keep the game scoreless in the 49^th minute.

Just over four minutes later, McLeod had a similar opportunity from the same spot. His ball sailed inches high of the crossbar. McLeod had another shot beat the goalkeeper, but go wide about four minutes later as the teams continued to fight for the first goal.

Saint Francis had its best chance of the game when sophomore Wayne Tiller (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney) (Magnolia, Del. / Caesar Rodney) found Fleming at the top of the box with under nine minutes remaining. Fleming released a shot that was blocked by a defender. The rebound came to junior Taylor Powers (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande) (Petaluma, Calif. / Casa Grande) near the corner of the six-yard box. He fought off a defender and Occhialini as all three fell to the ground. Powers released a shot as he lay on the ground, but a CCSU defender kicked it away. His rebound came out to Fleming, who shot just wide to keep the game scoreless in the 82^nd minute.

For periodic men's soccer updates and other Red Flash news, follow Director of Athletic Communications Bob Volkert on Twitter at SFUVolkert.

Game Notes: The Red Flash improved to a program best 6-3-1 overall; SFU recorded its fifth shutout of the season, exceeding last year's total of four; sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, Va./Gonzaga College) pitched his fourth shutout of the year, moving him into a tie for fifth-most for a single-season at SFU; The game marked the second overtime contest of the season for SFU, and the first double overtime affair; senior forward Patrick Fleming (Dunedin, New Zealand/Bayfield) had a personal five-game scoring streak snapped. He has scored at least one point in eight of Saint Francis' 10 matches this season.