Pioneers Win in Regular Season Finale

The MNU Men's Soccer team wrapped up the regular season Saturday afternoon by defeating Central Methodist University 1-0. On Senior Day the Pioneers got back to their winning ways after an overtime loss earlier in the week. Their performance this afternoon was solid from start to finish. You could see a different level of focus and the game had post-season implications for the Pioneers. With the win today they wrap up the #3 seed in the upcoming Heart of America Conference Tournament. The winner of the tournament receives the automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
 
The first half was a scoreless affair. Neither team created any dangerous chances and that is a testament to how well the defenses were playing. You could see the focus of each team was not to give up any cheap goals and most of the play ended up being in the midfield. MNU controlled a majority of the possession but that did not lead to many chances in the final third.
 
The second half was different. MNU outshot CMU 12-1 in the second half after having only 2 shots in the first half. The possession that MNU maintained was now producing chances in the final third. You could sense that a goal was coming and in the 55th minute, that persistence paid off. Bryce McClanhan was fouled in the box and Eddie Morales stepped up to bury the spot kick. With the 1-0 lead the Eagles began to press for the equalizer. This opened up counter attack opportunities for the Pioneers but they were unable to take advantage of them. MNU's defense held strong and limited CMU's best chances to set pieces. The final whistle came and the Pioneers won the game 1-0.
 
For the game MNU outshot CMU 14-2, with SOG being 2-1 in CMU's favor. The Eagle goalkeeper did not register a save in the game. Juan Pablo Riesco had 2 saves in earning the shutout for MNU. CMU falls to 13-3-2 (7-3) on the year. MNU finishes the regular season with a 13-4-1 (8-2) record. The entire MNU family would like to thank this year's senior class that was honored after the game. Austin Cline, Caio Barcelos, Luis Cadena, Lucas Machado, Stephan Philippe, Alvaro Beltran, and Eddie Morales have reached their final year at MNU and will soon graduate. Thank you for your contribution to MNU Men's Soccer over the years.