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CONCACAF Wrap: Princeton product Porter sends Montréal to semifinals

When the Montréal Impact picked Princeton forward Cameron Porter in the third round of this year's draft, no one thought much of it.

Sure, he was the Ivy League's offensive player of the year as a senior in 2014, and his 15 goals scored on the season tied the best mark in the NCAA's Division I.

But Ancient Eight products don't often make it big in MLS - and I say that as someone who has covered the conference for a dozen years now.

There have been a few success stories over the years, including Princeton's Jesse Marsch and Brown's Cory Gibbs. Union fans are familiar with another ex-Tiger, Antoine Hoppenot, who had a great start to his pro career but has faded since.

For the most part, Ivy Leaguers that go through the MLS draft end up right around where Porter did: as middle-to-late-round selections.

On Wednesday night, Porter scored the biggest goal of his life - and one of the biggest goals in the Impact's decorated history.

The Centerville, Ohio native capitalized on a breakaway in the 94th minute - literally the last minute of the game - to secure a 1-1 tie with Pachuca in front of a raucous crowd of 38,104 at Olympic Stadium.

Combined with the 2-2 tie in the first leg in Mexico, Montréal advanced to the semifinals on away goals. It's just the third time ever that a MLS team has knocked out a Mexican team in a two-legged round CONCACAF's premier competition.

Seattle did it to Tigres in the 2012-13 Champions League, and Kansas City did it to Santos Laguna in 2002, when the tournament was known as the Champions Cup and was played under a different format.

"For all the practices leading up to this, coming from the veterans, they're just always saying, don't be tense, don't be tense, just relax on the ball and be ready for your moments, and seize those opportunities," Porter told the press in Montréal after the game. "The opportunity came and you just got to put the ball in the net. Be calm, touch it through."

He did just that.

Montréal Impact: Cameron Porter 94'
Pachuca: Germán Cano (PK) 80'

Series finishes 3-3 on aggregate; Montréal advances on away goals

Here's a view of Porter's goal from the end line where he scored, captured by the Impact's social media team: