KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Saginaw Valley State University Men's Soccer team fell just short in the 2019 GLIAC Men's Soccer Tournament championship tilt, dropping the match by a final score of 2-1.
Parkside got on the board in the ninth minute, finding the back of the net on a goal by Todor Atlija to give the top-seeded Rangers the 1-0 lead.
That lead held true into the halftime and until the 60th minute when Kairo Coore used feeds from Gustavo Bergmann and Connor Rutz to tie the score at 1-1.
The match remained knotted at one goal-apiece and stayed until Parkside would connect on a long goal to take the lead.
Burim Huseini snuck one by in the 79th minute from distance, giving the Rangers the 2-1 lead.
The home team was able to hold the Cardinals scoreless from there, sealing the victory and earning the GLIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Inside the Boxscore
- Coore's goal was the ninth of his freshman season on the team's lone score of the match.
- Rutz's assist was his fifth of the season and Bergmann finishes with two assists after the match.
- SVSU owned the shot edge in the match, posting a 22-11 advantage.
- The Cardinals posted a 10-2 edge in corner kicks as well.
- Mason Maziasz (11-4-1) made three saves and allowed two goals in his 90 minutes in net.
- Coore, Bergmann and Rutz were all named to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team for their performance in the past two matches.
From Head Coach Louis Barrow
"Very unlucky today. The lads were special, especially in the second half. We threw everything at them. Much credit to Parkside, as they kept us out and they returned the pressure with a very good long-range effort that won them the match. I am so proud of these boys and all of the adversity they have faced this year. I don't think they understand yet the success that we achieved but will one day."
The Cardinals were ranked 10th in the most recent Super Region 3 rankings and will await the NCAA Division II final selections on Monday evening. The top-10 teams from the super region advance to the national tournament.
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