MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris men's soccer team has punched its ticket to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament after defeating Bethany Lutheran College 2-1 Tuesday afternoon in Morris, Minn.
The Cougars improve to 9-4-2 overall and 6-2-1 in the UMAC, while the Vikings fall to 10-6-1 overall and 8-2 in conference play. This was the Cougars' seventh consecutive win, their longest winning streak since 2014, and the team's first postseason berth since the 2018 season.
"Our players are starting to believe in themselves realizing their potentail." said head coach
Blake Ordell. "It is an exciting time for our program and our journey ahead!"
It was a great back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with the first shot on target coming in the 30th minute.
Dutch Bullock was there to make the save.
Jake Anargyros recorded the first shot for the Cougars but missed wide left. Bullock made two more saves to send the game scoreless into halftime.
Bullock was tested early in the second half, making a save in the fourth minute of action.
Angel "Bam" Perez Leon recorded the first shot on target for UMM but could not beat the goalkeeper. The Vikings scored the opening goal in the 56th minute.
Luis Mendez tracked down the ball just outside the 18-yard box and passed to
Justin Page, who slotted it into the top-right corner to level the game.
Sixteen seconds later, Perez Leon intercepted a pass and sent a through ball to Mendez, who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and beat him to give the Cougars the lead in the 70th minute. Bullock came up big again, making two more saves to preserve the 2-1 win.
Mendez scored his fourth goal of the season and recorded his eighth assist in the win. Page scored his first goal of the season, while Perez Leon added an assist. The Cougars recorded eight shots, including four on target. Page, Perez Leon, Mendez and
Karson Busch each registered a shot on goal. Bullock made six saves in the win.
The Cougars travel to the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
