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HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
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Nike
msoc-recap-gpactitle-231109
1
Morningside MSIDE (7-6-7, 5-3-3 GPAC)
2
Winner Northwestern NWC (15-4-2, 8-1-2 GPAC)
Morningside MSIDE
(7-6-7, 5-3-3 GPAC)
1
Final
2
Northwestern NWC
(15-4-2, 8-1-2 GPAC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Morningside MSIDE 0 1 1
Northwestern NWC 1 1 2

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | NWC Athletic Communications

Men's Soccer Claims GPAC Tournament Championship

Raiders clinch automatic berth to NAIA tournament

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern's (15-4-2, 8-1-2 GPAC) Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) tournament run culminated with a championship banner as the No. 2-seeded Raiders defeated No. 4-seeded Morningside (7-6-7, 5-3-3 GPAC) on Thursday under the lights.
 
"Tonight was a test of our resolve," commented head coach Dan Swier. "Our guys played like they have been here before. I am extremely proud of them."

The 2-1 win clinched the conference's second automatic berth to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament, their second appearance in three seasons.

It was an electric atmosphere as the two schools separated by 44 miles tried to gain an edge throughout much of the first half. As both student sections were in full voice, Northwestern gave their home crowd the first goal of the night, as Gerrard Uamai (Sr., Dundalk, Republic of Ireland) scored the header from the free kick by Marco Alessio (Sr., Chioggia, Italy) with three seconds remaining until halftime.
 
The second half ticked by with both teams controlling possession throughout until the Raiders received an insurance goal from one of their top scorers. After gaining an advantage in the offensive zone, Northwestern's Bongkefon Kumla (Fr., Falkensee, Germany) crossed up his defender and sent a pass right by a couple of teammates and into the control of Stan van den Beld (Jr., Voorhout, Netherlands), who gave his team a two-goal lead. Kumla notched his first-career assist while van den Beld scored his 11th goal of the campaign.

Minutes later, Carlo Schmidt sent one through to cut the deficit in half for Morningside, who looked to be back on the attack. The clock rolled down as the Mustangs played a man down in the final three minutes and were unable to pull back even.

"Morningside was very good tonight," Swier noted. "I also want to congratulate them on their tournament run."

The Raiders claimed their first tournament title since the conference adopted the GPAC tournament format after previously winning the NAIA Region III tournament in 2007.

"Winning a title takes a lot of things. But the one thing that overpowers everything else is a unified belief in what you're trying to accomplish together. This team had that this season; they deserve this memory that will last a lifetime."

MATCH NOTES
  • Northwestern claimed its first-ever GPAC tournament title and their first postseason tournament title since 2007 (NAIA Region III tournament).
  • Stan van den Beld scored his 11th goal of the season, which sits second on the team.
  • Gerrard Uamai scored the match's first goal, his second of the tournament.
  • Marco Alessio picked up an assist and finished the tournament with three points.
  • Bongkefon Kumla tallied his first-career assist.
  • A solid outing in goal saw Pablo Aspas (Sr., Valencia, Spain) collect six saves.
Up Next: Northwestern will play an opponent yet to be determined on Thursday, November 16 in the first round of the NAIA tournament. The selection show will be at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 13 on the NAIA's Facebook and YouTube pages.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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