WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (November 20, 2020) - The St. Thomas University (STU) Men's Soccer team (11-3) has won the fourth Sun Conference Tournament Championship in program history, defeating regular-season Sun Conference champion Keiser University (13-1) 2-1 on Friday afternoon.
The win marked the Bobcats third Sun Conference Tournament Championship in five seasons (2016, 2017) and fourth under Head Coach Feliks Mats.
Bobcat Starters
Game Notes
- Keiser began the game on the offensive, taking the first two shots-on-goal in the 10th and 12th minutes of the match.
- Acerbi picked up his first save in the Sun Conference Championship in the 12th minute to preserve a 0-0 draw.
- Landaburu lined up for a corner kick, and Koutsopodiotis found the back of the net, off a header, for his second goal of the season to put the Bobcats in front, 1-0 in the 20th minute.
- The Seahawks offense maintained their aggressiveness, taking three more shots-on-goal but could not get the ball past Acerbi.
- Domber, Agostini, and Arenzo each took shots-on-net in the closing minutes of the first half in an attempt to extend the STU advantage.
- Both offenses created multiple scoring opportunities in the first half, with KU taking five shots to STU's six.
- Acerbi recorded the only save for either keeper in the first half.
- Keiser started the second half with several chances to score, with Castro and Damine each took shots-on-goal, but the STU defense held firm.
- Domber and Gomez each attempted shots for the Bobcats, with neither being successful.
- St. Thomas took a man-advantage in the 62nd minute due to a Keiser red card.
- In the 66th minute, Acerbi added his second save of the match, preserving a 1-0 lead for STU.
- KU attempted to score the equalizer in both the 76th and 84th minute, missing high over the cross-bar on each attempt.
- Felipe Madero raced down the left side of the field on a breakaway, finding the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season, and extended the Bobcat's advantage to 2-0 in the 86th minute.
- The Seahawks got onto the scoreboard in the 89th minute of the game, scoring on a corner kick to cut into the Bobcat lead.
- STU's defense sealed the program's third Sun Conference Tournament championship in five seasons by stifling the remaining Keiser offensive opportunities.
Following the match, the Sun Conference announced the Sun Conference All-Tournament team. Goalkeeper, Franco Acerbi, picked up Tournament MVP honors, while George Koutsopodiotis, Federico Landaburu, Soren Ziedler and Felipe Madero all earned All-Tournament honors.
MVBobcats
Upcoming
The Bobcats have clinched a bid into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round tournament for the fifth time in program history. STU was the top-seed at the "Marshall Bracket" in Marshall, MO. in 2019, which featured Missouri Valley College and Lyon College. The Opening Round is scheduled to begin on April 22, 2021. The National Championship tournament, hosted in Columbia County, GA., is scheduled for May 4-10, 2021.
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