No. 1 Seed Men's Soccer Earns Semifinal Shutout Win Over No. 5 Seed Baker

Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 9, 2024)- The No. 1 seed Missouri Valley College men's soccer team hosted No. 5 seed Baker (Kan.) in the semifinal round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament, inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium, Saturday evening.  The Vikings scored early, and led throughout in a 3-0 victory.

The game started with an early chance on goal created by Missouri Valley.  The pair of Senior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) and Senior Forward Luka Perendija (Obrenovac, Serbia) helped set up Senior Forward Sam Green (London, England) with a breakaway chance on goal.  Green put his shot from the left side of goal into the lower-far corner, and sent the Vikings in front, 1-0, with six minutes played.  Baker was held to without a shot on goal through much of play in the first half.  The next quality chance came just past the midway point of the half, as a header from Perendija was saved by the BU keeper.  Junior Goalkeeper Cristobal Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was called on for one save in the half, coming near the 37-minute mark.  The Vikings were unable to extend their lead late in the half, and went into the halftime break holding a 1-0 advantage.

The two teams traded possession through much of play in the half.  Both struggled to create chances, and the first attempt on goal came with nearly 23-minutes played.  Freshman Defender Ethan Hartness (Southampton, England) sent a pass to Junior Forward Shiko Kiyomiya (Tokyo, Japan), who then dribbled through the Wildcat defense and put a shot from outside the box into the top corner of goal to make it a 2-0 lead.  The Vikings tacked on to its advantage, nine minutes later, as Kiyomiya assisted on a goal from Perendija to make it 3-0.  Benitez Delgado came up with two more saves over the next stretch of play to keep Baker from cutting into its deficit.  The Wildcats tried to pressure the MVC defense late in the game, and one more Benitez Delgado save, coming in the final three minutes, preserved the shutout, and a 3-0 win for Missouri Valley.

Both Kiyomiya and Perendija recorded one goal and one assist apiece.  Perendija has three goals and four assists, and Kiyomiya has two goals and two assists on the season.  Green scored one goal, and has 17 goals, 38 points and four game-winning goals on the season, all team-highs.  Hashimoto recorded his fourth assist and Hartess added his second assist.  Benitez Delgado made four saves in goals as the team recorded its eighth shutout this season.  Missouri Valley got off seven shots in the game, and earned three corner kicks.

The Vikings improve to 15-1-3 on the season, while Baker falls to 12-7-1.

Up next, the Viking men's soccer team will host the championship game of the Heart Postseason Tournament, welcoming in No. 2 seed William Penn (Iowa) into Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The game will be Wednesday at 7 p.m.  Missouri Valley defeated the Statesmen, on the road, back on Oct. 5, 3-1.  The men's soccer program has won the conference tournament five times, all since 2010, including last season's championship.

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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.