The MNU Men's Soccer team lost their first game since late September on Wednesday afternoon.. Missouri Valley won the conference semifinal matchup 1-0 with a goal in the first half. They will move on to the championship match on Saturday vs. the winner of Grandview and Benedictine.
In the first 20 minutes of the match, the Pioneers seemed to have an eye on the upcoming National Tournament. Their regular season conference championship earned them the first of two automatic bids that the Heart of America conference holds. Missouri Valley was quick to jump on this lack of focus from MNU and in the 14th minute they made them pay. A nice strike from outside the box from Rafael Alcaraz eluded MNU's
Yann Passet. This was the first goal MNU had conceded in 394 minutes of play. A streak that stretched over the last 5 matches. The goal woke the Pioneers up and they finished the half well, creating several opportunities but nothing found the back of the net.
The second half was a determined and gritty performance by the Vikings. MNU pressed for the equalizing goal but Missouri Valley would not concede. They made the first half goal stand up and move on to try to earn the conference's second automatic bid to nationals. For the game MVC outshot MNU 13-12, with shots on goal being 5-2. The Viking goalkeeper was credited with 2 saves. Passet had 4 saves in the loss. Missouri Valley moves their record to 13-5-2. MNU is now 15-3-1.Â
The Pioneers will now wait for the national tournament pairings that will be announced on Monday, November 14th. The opening rounds will take place on Saturday, November 19th at host sites across the country. The winners of the first round will then meet in Delray Beach, Florida for the conclusion of the National Tournament from November 28 through December 3.
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