With a clean sweep of 3-0 over IUPUI, Cleveland State Men’s soccer emerged victorious as the Horizon League champions this past Saturday, Nov. 12.
Their victory grants them a one-way ticket to the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament with a strong record of 11-3-5 this season.
The Vikings took the lead from the onset, with senior Albert Portas scoring the lone goal of the opening half in the 27th minute. They out-shot the Jaguars 9-3 and managed two saves as opposed to their opponent’s zero.
Senior Jannis Schmidt kept the momentum in the second half and scored the second goal of the match with assistance from junior Bojan Kolevski. By the 56th minute, Cleveland State was riding a firm lead of 2-0.
Before securing the championship under their belt, the team faced a few rocky calls, with senior Pablo Kawecki being given a yellow card in the 63rd minute. However, less than ten minutes later, Kawecki would score the winning goal for the Vikings, assisted by Kolevski.
Another yellow card was handed out to junior Jaume Rubio in the last 20 minutes, but that didn’t stop Cleveland State from finishing the match on a high note.
With Portas, Schmidt, and Kawecki leading the team against their opponent in shots for an all-around advantage of 21-6, and goalie senior Omeed Naeemy making three swift saves, Cleveland State dominated IUPUI until the very last second, claiming their championship with heads held high, ready to take on tournament day with ferocity and triumph.
Cleveland State will attend the national tournament for their tenth appearance overall, their last of which came in 2012. The tournament bracket will be revealed during the 2022 men’s soccer selection show, airing live on NCAA.com Monday, November 14 at 1:00pm.
You must log in to post a comment.