Men's Soccer Defeats MidAmerica Nazarene, Captures Conference Tournament Title

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 10, 2023)- The No. 1 seed Missouri Valley College men's soccer team hosted No. 3 seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the championship game of the 2023 Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament, Presented by WinWon Technologies.  The Vikings led early, and scored a late game-winner to secure the tournament championship with a 3-2 victory.

Play started with an early chance created by Missouri Valley, as Junior Midfielder Malik Hasanovikj (Skopje, North Macedonia) set up Freshman Forward Kerim Akpinar (Bremen, Germany) with a chance on goal, and Akpinar scored with less than four minutes played to put team in front, 1-0.  The two teams traded possession of the next stretch of play.  MidAmerica Nazarene began putting together opportunities past the midway point of the half.  Sophomore Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) made a pair of saves in a short stretch through the 25-minute mark to keep MVC in front.  With nearly 28 minutes off the clock, the Pioneers worked another chance, and scored on the opportunity to tie the contest at 1-1.  Both teams struggled to put a shot on goal until the closing moments of play in the half.  With less than one minute remaining until the break, Sophomore Defender Jack Hurrell (Long Melford, England) and Junior Forward Luka Perendija (Obrenovac, Serbia) teamed up on a play that put Junior Forward Sam Green (Bromley, England) on goal.  Green scored on his shot, and Missouri Valley went into halftime in front, 2-1.

The second half started with the two teams trading possession through the 63-minute mark.  That's when Green got off a shot that hit off the MNU crossbar.  The next chance came ten minutes later, as Sophomore Midfielder Julius Kruger (Berlin, Germany) sent a shot towards goal, which was saved by a Pioneer defender.  With less than 15 minutes remaining on the clock, MNU created their best opportunity of the half.  A shot was blocked in front of goal, but the rebound stayed in the box, and was recovered by a MidAmerica Nazarene player.  Moments later, a close-range shot went into goal, and brought the teams into a 2-2 tie.  Missouri Valley responded quickly after the restart, and held possession in the MNU box.  A foul was called on a Pioneer defender, resulting in a penalty kick for the Vikings.  Green took the shot, and scored on the PK to move Missouri Valley back in front, 3-2, with less than 14 minutes to play in the second half.  MidAmerica Nazarene held possession in the MVC defensive third at times in the final minutes of play, but could not put a shot on goal.  The Vikings closed out the remaining time, and earned a 3-2 victory.

Green finished with two goals, and now has 15 goals and six game-winning goals on the season.  Akpinar scored one goal and has seven goals on the season.  Hasanovokj, Perendija and Hurrell each added on assist apiece.  Hasanovikj now has seven assists, Perendija has three assists and Hurrell has two assists on the season.  Benitez Delgado made two saves in goal.  The Vikings got off 11 total shots, and earned five corner kicks.

Missouri Valley improves to 13-5 overall, while MidAmerica Nazarene drops to 12-4-4.  The win also captures the program's fifth Heart Postseason Tournament title (2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023), the most of any program in the Heart.  This is the first title since 2018 and marks the third time in program-history the team has won both the regular season and conference tournament championships (2010, 2017, 2023).

Missouri Valley earned an automatic berth into the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer National Tournament, and will wait for the location and opponent for the team's first game in the National tournament.  The first round takes place Nov. 16.  The Vikings could earn a bye into the second round, and play Nov. 18.  The tournament selection show will be Monday at 1 p.m.  Missouri Valley has qualified for the National tournament in 13 of the past 14 seasons, and hosted at least one game 12 times, all since 2011.

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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.