Men's Soccer Tops Rio Grande in NAIA Opener
Marshall, Mo., (April 22, 2021)- The Missouri Valley College men's soccer team opened play in the Marshall (Mo.) Bracket of the 2020 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship hosting Rio Grande (Ohio), Thursday afternoon. The Vikings built up a two-goal lead in the second half, and earned a 2-1 victory.
Rio Grande had the better of chances in the early stages of the match, forcing Sophomore Goalkeeper Dusan Milosevic (Belgrade, Serbia) into a pair of saves in the opening 15-minutes of play. Missouri Valley was unable to produce a shot on goal through much of the first half. The Red Storm built up pressure with 15-minutes remaining in the half, and earned a pair of corner kicks, and put another shot on goal during the sequence, but Milosevic made another save. The first shot on goal for Missouri Valley came with just over six minutes to play in before halftime, but the attempt from Junior Forward Ruben Jimenez (Barcelona, Spain) was saved. Four minutes later, Sophomore Forward Miroslav Markovic (Loznica, Serbia) tried to give MVC the lead, but his attempt was kept out of goal by the Rio Grande keeper, and the teams went into halftime tied at 0-0.
The second half started with early pressure from the Vikings, and the team eventually built up a chance on goal. Sophomore Midfielder Kainan Dos Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) set up Markovic on a break-away opportunity, which resulted in a goal from Markovic with just over five minutes played after the restart to give Missouri Valley a 1-0 lead. The Vikings held Rio Grande without an opportunity on goal through much of the half. Offensive pressure was again built up for MVC, and Freshman Midfielder Mike Moser (Thun, Switzerland) created a shot from just outside the Red Storm box. His attempt was saved, but the Rio Grande keeper could not collect the ball. Dos Santos got to the rebound first, and put a shot into goal, giving Missouri Valley a 2-0 advantage midway through the second half. Rio Grande held the better of possession over the next stretch of play, but could only produce one shot on goal over the next several minutes. Milosevic made his only save of the half near the 77-minute mark. The Red Storm eventually earned a free kick in their offensive third, and a close-range header went into goal, and cut the team's deficit to 2-1 with seven minutes to play in regulation. Quickly after the restart, Missouri Valley nearly put the game out of reach, but a chance on goal for Markovic was saved. The Red Storm were only able to produce one more shot in the closing moments of the game, but could not extend the match. Missouri Valley earned a 2-1 win to advance in the National tournament.
Dos Santos scored his 14th goal of the season, and added his fourth assist. He now has four game-winning goals on the season, and a team-high 32 points. Markovic added his third goal. Milosevic made four saves. Missouri Valley held a 12-9 edge in shots, and produced four corner kicks in the match.
The win moves Missouri Valley to 15-4-1 on the season, while Rio Grande falls to 14-5-1 to end its season.
The Vikings advance to the final game of the Marshall Bracket, and will play Hastings (Neb.), Saturday at 2 p.m., at Gregg-Mitchell Field. Hastings enters the game with a record of 11-3-1. The two teams have played twice before in the National tournament. Hastings won both meetings. The first was a 3-0 defeat for Missouri Valley on Nov. 20, 2010, the program's first-ever National tournament match. The second came on Dec. 3, 2013, when the Vikings fell, 3-2. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the National site north of Augusta, Ga., at Blanchard Woods Park, May 4-10.
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About Missouri Valley College
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.