ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 20-ranked, and top-seeded Northwestern College men's soccer team (15-2-1, 10-1 GPAC) is set to square off with the fourth-seeded Mustangs of Morningside University (12-6, 8-3 GPAC) in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) men's soccer tournament semifinal round for the second straight season.
The Raiders aim to make it back to the GPAC men's soccer tournament championship match since the 2007 season, when the Raiders took down the Hastings College Broncos 1-0 to advance to the NAIA national tournament.
"When we faced off in September it was a well-played match by both teams. I anticipate that this one will not disappoint either," says head coach
Dan Swier. "They have the most potent attack in the conference, while we boast a very stingy defense. We will need to execute to near perfection if we are to advance to the next round."
Regular Season Meeting
The Raiders and Mustangs met back on September 22 for their regular season match at the NWC Soccer Complex on the campus of Northwestern College. At the time, the Mustangs were the sole GPAC school represented in the NAIA national rankings at No. 22.
In an evenly matched contest, the game was knotted up at 1-1 after the first 45 minutes. Morningside struck first in the 24
th minute, but 15 minutes later in the 40
th minute
Marco Alessio (So., Chioggia, Italy/Liceo Giuseppe Veronese) netted the equalizer right before the half.
The second half saw 13 total shots (7-6 in favor of the Mustangs) but neither team could find the back of the net. The match would go to overtime and in the final minute of the first over time period (99:51) junior
James Bolger (Boyle, Republic of Ireland/Abbey Community College) was the hero netting the game-winning goal as the Raiders upset the GPAC Preseason Coaches' favorite to win the conference.
2020 GPAC Men's Soccer Tournament Semifinal (April 13, 2020)
Last season, though in April, it was the No. 16 nationally-ranked and top-seeded Mustangs the Raiders had to face in Sioux City, Iowa. The two teams battled it out but Morningside prevailed on their home pitch 3-2.
Ticket Information
Gate will once again be charged as fans arrive at the NWC Soccer Complex, as is protocol with all GPAC conference tournament events.
Adults will be charged $10, K-12 students will be charged $3, and children under the Kindergarten age will have no charge. All GPAC students will receive free admittance to the matches with the showing of their institutional ID.
GPAC Tournament Schedule (home team bolded)
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Nov. 3
No. 1-seed Northwestern, 5 vs. No. 8-seed Mount Marty, 0
No. 4-seed Morningside, 2 vs. No.5-seed Concordia, 1
No. 3-seed Hastings, 4 vs. No. 6-seed Midland, 1
No. 2-seed Briar Cliff, 5 vs. No. 7-seed Jamestown, 0
Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 6
No. 1-seed Northwestern vs. No. 4-seed Morningside (7:00 p.m., Orange City, Iowa)
No. 2-seed Briar Cliff vs. No. 3-seed Hastings (1:00 p.m., Sioux City, Iowa)
Championship – Thursday, Nov. 11
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 (Location/Time TBD)
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is set to release this year's national tournament field on Monday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m. (CT). The Opening Round is set to commence on Saturday, November 20.
