McKendree Men's Soccer Topples Top-Seeded SVSU to Claim Program's First DII Regional Title, Final Four Trip

SAGINAW, Mich. | NCAA Tournament Elite Eight - 12th-ranked and second-seeded McKendree University men's soccer (15-0-7, 8-0-6 GLVC) toppled  No.25 and top-seeded Cardinals of Saginaw Valley State on Saturday in the national tournament quarterfinal, 2-1, to continue a historic unbeaten run and punch the program's first ever ticket to the DII College Cup. The Bearcats earned their spot in the semifinal after bombarding the Cardinals in the quarterfinal, shutting out Findlay in the Round of 16, and collecting a comeback win over Fort Hays State in the Round of 32. Third-seeded McKendree continues its pursuit of a national title next week in Matthews, North Carolina, with the squad's semifinal battle coming on December 12 at 6:00PM ET against second-seeded Lynn. 

McKendree and Saginaw met as the top two seeds in the regional title after both battling through tough sides of the super region bracket. The Bearcats made the trip up north to a chilly Michigan environment after playing through similar conditions the previous weekend at Leemon Field following a heavy snowfall the day prior. In the top 25 and top-seeds bout, McKendree looked to control the pace while striking early and often and the Bearcats pushed through to strike first. The 31st minute provided the first goal of the day as McKendree was rewarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box following a foul. The Bearcats sent senior midfielder Philipp Schmidt and sophomore defender Bailey Winchurch to the ball, both positioning to take the kick. Winchurch was tabbed to go forward and fired the ball between Cardinal defenders to put the Bearcats up 1-0. SVSU found a quick counter to knot the game at 1-1 just one minute later. Less than 60 seconds passed before McKendree found the back of the net once again with Schmidt blasting a shot to pass by the defense and keeper for the lead and eventual game-winner. McKendree owned a one-score advantage at the halftime intermission period.

The Bearcats held off an aggressive attack by the top-seeded Cardinals in the second half, which fired 12 shots at the McKendree defense. The strong McKendree defense kept SVSU from tying the game to move on to its first NCAA DII College Cup, which is held at the Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina for a second consecutive season.