Men's Soccer Overcomes Deficit to Top Baker in Heart Quartefinal

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 3, 2023)- The No. 14 Missouri Valley College men's soccer team opened play in the 2023 Heart of America Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Postseason Tournament, Presented by WinWon Technologies Friday evening.  The Vikings are the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and hosted No. 8 seed Baker (Kan.).  Missouri Valley trailed at halftime, but scored three times in the second half to earn a 3-1 win and advance to the semifinal round.

The two teams traded possession through the early stages of the first half.  Both were unable to create any chances on goal through much of play.  Missouri Valley created two corner kick opportunities in the opening 30 minutes, but neither resulted in a shot to test the Baker keeper.  With less than six minutes remaining in the half, the Wildcats had a long pass towards the MVC goal which was collected.  The first shot on goal for either team in the contest resulted in a goal for BU to put the team in front, 1-0 going into halftime.

The Vikings came out quickly in the second half, and got off a pair of shots and a corner kick in the opening minutes.  With nearly five minutes played, Junior Midfielder Tate Richards (London, England) sent a cross towards goal, and Junior Defender Strahinja Djurdic (Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina) put a header past the Baker keeper and into the net to tie the teams as 1-1.  The Wildcats came close to going back in front, as a header close to goal was saved by Sophomore Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) at the 72-minute mark.  Six minutes later, a throw in was headed by Freshman Forward Kerim Akpinar (Bremen, Germany) into the path of Junior Forward Sam Green (Bromley, England).  Green's first shot was saved, but the rebound fell to his feet, and Green put in a shot from five yards out into an empty net to move MVC on top, 2-1.  The Vikings continued to pressure the BU defense late into the game, and worked one more goal.  Green set up Junior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan) with a goal in the final four minutes of play to secure the 3-1 win.

Green led with one goal and one assist, along with the game-winning goal.  He now has 10 goals, seven assists, four game-winning goals and 27 points, all team-highs.  Djurdic scored his first goal of the season, while Igarashi added his third goal.  Akpinar and Richards both recorded their first assist each.  Benitez Delgado made one save.  The Vikings finished with a 13-6 advantage in shots, and earned six corner kicks.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 11-5 on the season, while Baker has its season end with a 9-7-3 record.

Up next, the Viking men's soccer team will host a semifinal game in the Heart Postseason Tournament, against No. 5 seed Benedictine (Kan.), Tuesday at 7 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  Missouri Valley lost to the Ravens in the regular season finale, back on Oct. 28, 1-0.

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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.