Men's Soccer Downs No. 18 Saginaw Valley 2-1 In Overtime
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saginaw Valley (12-3-2, 9-3-2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Northwood (12-3-1, 10-3-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
MIDLAND, MICH. - The Northwood University men's soccer team passed No. 18 Saginaw Valley in the GLIAC polls with a 2-1 win in overtime for Halloween on Friday afternoon (October 31).
The Timberwolves finish the season 12-3-1 overall, 10-3-1 in the GLIAC. The Cardinals end the year 12-3-2 and 9-3-2 in the GLIAC.
After playing Saginaw Valley to a 0-0 draw on September 12 in Saginaw, Mich. the second meeting looked to be quite similar in throughout the opening period. Both meetings saw a scoreless first half in inclement weather. Northwood registered five shots to just four of Saginaw, while each team recorded a corner kick.
Northwood was the first team to get on the board with a well-executed corner kick in the 52nd minute. Keaton Levock (Clinton Twp., Mich. / Chippewa Valley) served in the corner to the foot of defenseman Michael Ankoviak (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Walled Lake Northern) to put NU ahead 1-0. The Cardinals netted the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 88th minute to send the match into extra time.
The Timberwolves would put the match away on a free kick goal from more than fifty yards out. Jack Smith (Milnthorpe, England) put a beautiful ball into the box for freshman Connor Cole (Plymouth, Mich. / Salem) to finish into the back of the net. Cole registered his first collegiate goal at 94:31 to end the season.
For the match, Northwood held the advantage in shots (16-11) and corner kicks (5-1). There were a total of 27 fouls called and eight cautions issued in the aggressive contest. Saginaw Valley's keeper tallied seven saves, while Johannes Sterobo (Odense, Denmark / Tornbjerg) made five saves in the win.
With today's results, the Timberwolves are the #2 seed in the upcoming 2014 GLIAC Men's Soccer Tournament. They will face third seeded Lake Erie in the semi-finals on Friday (November 7) at an undetermined time. The winner of that match will take on either top-seeded Tiffin or fourth seeded Saginaw Valley on Sunday (November 9). The Tournament will be played in Tiffin, Ohio.