HASTINGS, Neb. -- Nebraska Wesleyan battled 19th-ranked Hastings College toe-to-toe for the entire match but the Broncos scored the game-winning goal with less than five minutes remaining to defeat the Prairie Wolves 2-1 in the GPAC Men's Soccer Quarterfinals on Tuesday night (Nov. 3) in Hastings, Neb.
With the score tied 1-1 and the clock ticking down and approaching overtime, Murilo Ceruli sent a shot to the back of the goal and the GPAC regular season champions had secured the victory to advance to the next round.
Nebraska Wesleyan, the No. 8 seed, finished the 2015 season with a 9-8-1 overall record.
"Obviously not the way we wanted the season to end, but we've stood tall against one of the best teams in the nation twice now," Coach
Tudor Flintham said. "The lads should be proud of their performance and aggrieved at the result."
Facing the top-seeded Broncos, Nebraska Wesleyan did not back down and wanted to prove that they belong in the postseason race. Hastings got on the board first as Daniel Whitehall converted a header off a corner kick during the 21st minute. The Broncos would hold onto the 1-0 lead at intermission.
In the second half, NWU took advantage of a scoring opportunity and tied the match as
Jake Kennedy scored a goal at the 53:23 mark of the match.
Hasting continued to pressure the Prairie Wolves and send shot after shot at the goal. NWU goalkeeper
Jack Nespor was up to the challenge and constantly denied the Broncos. Nespor finished with a season-high 12 saves in the match.
Eventually, Hastings was able to find the open net and seal the victory. The Broncos finished with 24 total shots, compared to only three for the Prairie Wolves.
"Playing eleven underclassmen in this game gives you an indication of what the future holds for Nebraska Wesleyan. We are young but will enter next season with some great experience and a chip on our shoulder," Flintham concluded.
"We've had some great performances this season, and even our losses have all been really tight games which could have gone either way. I would say that the future is extremely bright... But this is also the time to say thank you to a special group of seniors who have laid the foundation for our future successes."
NWU must say goodbye to five senior members of the team as they head into the offseason. This was also the final match the Prairie Wolves played as members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference as they move to the IIAC in 2016.
