ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 20-ranked Northwestern College men's soccer team (16-2-1, 10-1 GPAC) took down the GPAC Coaches' preseason favorite Morningside (12-7, 8-3 GPAC) 2-1 for the second time this season to advance to the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) men's soccer tournament championship game.
 
For the second time this season, the Raiders and the Mustangs battled on the pitch at the NWC Soccer Complex, and for the second time it was the Raiders prevailing 2-1. A 70^th minute goal from Brennan Haggerty (Sr., Freeman, S.D./Freeman Academy) – assist to Juan Mackrey (Sr., Balcare, Argentina/Georgia Military College) sends the Raiders to the conference tournament championship game.
 
"Another great battle between two top teams. Our fortitude was tested the first 20 minutes of this match. They came at us with everything they had and we didn't concede," said head coach Dan Swier. "Our second half performance may have been our most impressive this season."
 
It was Morningside who held the advantage in the first half, putting up eight shots to the Raiders four, but could only find the back of the net once in the first 45 minutes of play.
 
Mackrey picked up his 11^th goal of the season to five the Raiders the 1-0 advantage in the 27^th minute thanks to a beautiful header that sneaks just past Morningside's keeper's head in the top right corner of the net. Stan van den Beld (Fr., Voorhout, Netherlands/Rijnlands Lyceum Sassenheim) was credited with the assist, his sixth assist of the season, which leads the team.
 
Morningside wouldn't take long to draw even as Moritz Lusch nets a Mustang goal on the left side in the 30^th minute. The two teams would head into the halftime break knotted up at 1-1.
 
The second half the Raiders made the needed adjustments and stymied the Mustang attack, limiting them to only one shot the entire second half. In the 70^th minute, Haggerty would net the game-winner to send the Raider fans home happy, as the top-seeded Raiders advance 2-1.
 
Goalkeeper Ezekiel Foltz (Jr., Sioux Center, Iowa/Sioux Center) had a phenomenal night in goal for the Raiders, picking up six saves with multiple being clutch saves to keep the potent Mustang attack off the board. His season record improves to 16-2-1 in the net for Northwestern.
 
For the first time since 2007, the Northwestern Red Raiders will find themselves playing for a GPAC conference tournament title. The Raiders will face the No. 3-seed Hastings Broncos, the only team who handed the Raiders a loss in league play this season. Hastings was also the squad Northwestern battled in the 2007 title match.

Up Next: The Raiders are headed back in the GPAC men's soccer conference tournament championship to face the Hastings College Broncos on Thursday, November 11 at 7:00 p.m. from the NWC Soccer Complex.