Men's Soccer Advances With First Round Win Over Cardinal Stritch
Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 17, 2022)- The Missouri Valley College men's soccer team opened play in the 2022 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship by hosting a first round contest in the Marshall (Mo.) Bracket against Cardinal Stritch (Wisc.) Thursday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium. The Vikings used a second half goal to secure a 1-0 victory and advance to the second round.
The game started with the two teams trading possession through the early stages of the contest. The first attempt on goal came with more than 15-minutes played, and required a save from Freshman Goalkeeper Cristobal Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) to keep the teams tied. Less than five minutes later, Missouri Valley created its first chance on goal, as the shot from Freshman Forward Niall Rooney (Birmingham, England) was saved. Both teams struggled to create quality chances until later in the half. With less than nine minutes remaining until the break, Sophomore Forward Sam Green (Bromley, England) had a shot saved as the game stayed scoreless. The Vikings limited Cardinal Stritch to only one shot on goal throughout the half, and the teams went into halftime tied at 0-0.
Missouri Valley created opportunities early as the second half got underway. Less than five minutes after the restart, Green had a close-range effort saved. Six minutes later, Sophomore Forward Stefan Cekic Bjarki (Eskifijorour, Iceland) put a shot on goal that was saved, and Sophomore Forward Diego Blanco Alvarez (Oviedo, Spain) followed after another two minutes with a shot that was kept out of goal by the Cardinal Stritch keeper. Missouri Valley held the better of possession through much of the half, and Blanco Alvarez tested the Wolves keeper again, this time near the 69-minute mark, but his shot was saved. Cardinal Stritch came close to scoring the game's first goal, but Benitez Delgado made another save with less than 12-minutes remaining. Missouri Valley eventually broke down the Cardinal Stritch defense, and Junior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) broke towards goal. He dribbled around the keeper, and put his shot into goal to make it a 1-0 score with less than nine minutes to play. Cardinal Stritch had one more chance, coming in the final minute of play, but the shot going towards an open net was cleared, and the Vikings finished out a 1-0 victory.
Hashimoto finished with his second goal of the season and his first game-winning goal. Rooney and Sophomore Midfielder Malik Hasanovikj (Skopje, North Macedonia) added one assist each. Benitez Cristobal made two saves and recorded his fourth shutout this season. Missouri Valley held an 11-8 edge in shots and created four corner kicks.
The win moves Missouri Valley to 14-4-1 on the season, while Cardinal Stritch finishes its season with a 13-7-1 record.
Missouri Valley advances to the second round, and will play Williams Baptist (Ark.), Saturday at 1 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium. Williams Baptist outlasted Madonna (Mich.) in Thursday evening's first round game, playing to a 1-1 tie, but advancing on penalty kicks, 4-2. The winner of Saturday's second round game advances to the National site in Decatur, Ala., with the rest of the tournament taking place Nov. 29-Dec 5.
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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.