Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
DECORAH, Iowa – It will be an all-Iowa showdown on Saturday for an NCAA Tournament berth as Luther College and Grinnell College picked up semifinal wins on Saturday at the Midwest Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament.
Top-seeded Luther cruised past fourth-seeded Lake Forest College, 3-0, while third-seeded Grinnell upset second-seeded Illinois College 1-0.
Luther (11-2-4) got on the board in the 20th minute as Francesco Mungari assisted on a goal by David Barlecaj, putting the Norse in front. That score held up in the first 45 minutes, as Luther took a 1-0 lead into intermission after a 5-2 advantage in shots.
The Norse continued to put pressure on in the second half, scoring twice to widen their lead. Theo Cornell scored in the 58th minute on a pass from Nels Mortenson before Mortenson scored himself in the 83rd minute with the assist credited to Lucas Rojas.
Luther had an 11-7 advantage in shots throughout the match. Blake Prouty and Cornell each had a game-high two. Will Lookingbill and Blair Nelsen each made two saves playing 45 minutes apiece in goal.
Lake Forest ends its season 8-8-3. Nathan Kostovetsky led the Foresters with two shots, while Conor Leuschke made two saves in 84 minutes of action in goal.
The first half of the second semifinal was a defensive battle, as the teams recorded just three shots each in a scoreless first stanza. However, Grinnell (15-4-1) took the lead for good in the 68th minute on a goal by Jake Lu which was assisted by Ian O’Loughlin. Illinois College (9-4-4) was unable to match the score the rest of the way as the Pioneers advanced to their second consecutive MWC Tournament final.
Grinnell had a narrow 5-4 shot advantage in the match, not allowing a single shot on goal by the Blueboys. Samuel Gojjam led the way with two shots for GC, while Jack Alexander played all 90 minutes in goal but was not forced to make a save.
Kristofer Ruiz led IC with two shots. TJ Esseily made two saves in goal, playing every minute.
Sunday’s MWC Tournament Final will begin at 2 p.m. The winner receives the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament.