Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant,
mreaker@noctrl.edu
Nov. 13, 2022 -The North Central College men's soccer reigned victorious once again as two goals in the 89th minute sent them past the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on a snowy night at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over North Park University last Saturday in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Finals. This is the second consecutive season that the Cardinals have made it into the NCAA Tournament.
The tenth-ranked Cardinals (17-0-4) looked to advance in the Tournament for the first time in program history and in the fifth minute, Jaziel Enriquez slipped through the Yellowjackets defense but his strike to the bottom left corner of the net was handled by goalkeeper Alex Paredes, eliminating the Cardinal opportunity. In the 13th minute, the Cardinals would jump out infront as Aidan Westerberg sent a strike to the top of the net to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals thought they extended their lead in the 23rd minute as Matteo Innocenti sent a strike on net but Paredes was there to shut down the Cardinals offense. The Yellowjackets found the back of the net in the 26th minute as Blake Perry finished off a Josh Bellamy pass to tie the game at one with 19 minutes left in the first half. Both defenses held strong for the remainder of the half and the two teams would head into the break deadlocked at one.
North Central was looking to extend their lead in the second half and just 42 seconds into the half, Edoardo Bonifacio sent a strike to the top of the net but Paredes was there once again to make the save and shut down the Cardinal attack. After Jack Bonavia earned his second yellow card of the night in the 74th minute, the Cardinals would play down a man for the remaining 16 minutes. The Yellowjackets would make them pay as Gavin Watkinson sent a strike past goalkeeper Sid Marquardt to give them a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute. The Cardinals were not phased and in the 89th minute, Enriquez would send a strike to the left corner of the net just out of the reach of Paredes to tie the game at two. Just 49 seconds later, Enriquez would send a touch pass to a streaking Daniel Navarro who would chip it over the Yellowjackets goalkeeper to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead with just seconds remaining. The Cardinals shutdown the Yellowjackets final attempt to push them into the second round of the Tournament.
The Cardinals held a 19-13 advantage in shots in the game and had 16 of its 19 shots on target. Marquardt tallied six saves in the contest as his record improved to 16-0-3 on the season. This is the first NCAA Tournament win in program history and the Cardinals will face St. Olaf College in the Round of 32 on Sunday at 7 pm inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
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