COLUMBIA, Mo. - Harris-Stowe State University men's soccer picked up a 2-1 win over #1 seed Columbia College at R. Marvin Owens Stadium on Tuesday night to win the American Midwest Conference Tournament Championship. With the win, the Hornets improve to 10-6-3 while the Cougars fall to 10-6-3.
The Hornets claim their first AMC Tournament Championship title since 1999 when they won in penalty kicks. The Hornets will find out where they will play on Friday, November 14th on the NAIA YouTube Channel at 5 pm.Â
Senior goalkeeper
Matheus Pereira da Silva (Santo Andre, SP, Brazil/Columbia College) kept the Cougars off the board in the seventh minute with a save. Sophomore defender
Alexis Santillan (Cordoba, Argentina/Universidad Provincial de Cordoba) would have his header denied by the Cougars keeper in the ninth minute. Pereira da Silva would make another save in the 11th minute to keep the game scoreless. The Cougars would strike first in the 13th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Sophomore midfielder
Dusan Drca (Belgrade, Serbia/Hill Community College) would be denied his chance to tie the game in the 14th minute. The Cougars would take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
After the Hornets earned a free kick just outside the box, Santillan would take the kick and find the back of the net off of a deflection to tie the game in the 50th minute. Pereria da Silva would keep the game tied by making a save in the 52nd minute. Pereira da Silva would make a save in the 60th minute to continue to keep the game tied at one. The game would remain tied after Pereira da Silva would come up big with a save in the 81st minute. Senior forward
Mario De La Fuente (Madrid, Spain/Mid American Christian University) would spin away from the Cougars defender at the top of the 18-yard box and score on the far side past the diving keeper to give the Hornets a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute. The Cougars had chances to tie the game as a shot hit in the cross bar in the 86th minute and Pereira da Silva would deny a shot with four seconds left to give the Hornets the 2-1 win.
Santillan would score his first goal of the year and De La Fuente scored his ninth goal of the year and his fourth game winning goal of the season. Pereira da Silva would make six saves in goal to pick up the win.
The Cougars held a 22-13 advantage in shots, 7-4 in shots on goal and 4-3 in corner kicks.
The Hornets return to action in the NAIAÂ Men's Soccer First and Second Rounds, which will be held at campus sites from Nov. 20-22.
