The Basics

Score:  No. 9 Northwood 3 - No. 20 Saginaw Valley 1 | NCAA Tournament - Second Round
Records: NU (17-1-1) | SVSU (15-4-1) 
Location: Dean Field - Midland, Mich.

MIDLAND, Mich. - A first round victory for the SVSU men's soccer team set up a third matchup with the Northwood University Timberwolves on Saturday (Nov. 14) afternoon, this time in the semifinals round of the Midwest Regionals in the 2015 NCAA Division II Tournament. With both teams owning a victory over the other earlier in the season, it set up a rubber match at Northwood's Dean Field for a chance to advance to the Round of 16. The Timberwolves would come out ahead in this edition of the rivalry, posting a 3-1 victory over the Cardinals.

Northwood jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead when James DeCosemo scored at the 27:21 marker off a feed from Jack Smith's corner kick.

That score held true into the halftime break and SVSU would soon tie the score early on in the second half.

Raphael Stulz scored his first-career goal at the 62:33 mark to tie the contest at 1-1. Andrew Dalou and Louis Barrow each had assists on the play. 

The Timberwolves got the lead back just over a minute later at the 63:36 marker of the half when Smith added a goal of his own to make the score 2-1 in the home team's advantage. 

Northwood would add a third goal at the 73:47 time marker, as Adam Thomas found the back of the net for the 3-1 lead. 

That's where the score would stand when the clock struck zeros.

Inside the Boxscore

• Stulz's goal was the first of his career for the Cardinals in his final contest.
• Dalou's assist gave him three on the year while Barrow marked his first helper from his defender position.
• Northwood held a 20-10 edge in total shots and 9-3 advantage in shots on goal in the contest.
• Tyler Channell had a team-high three shots while Stulz, Vaughn Frederick and Dalou all had shots on goal.
• Alexandre Bouillennec (15-2-1) made six saves in his 90 minutes between the posts for the Cardinals. 

From Head Coach Andy Wagstaff

"Today, we ran into a very strong Northwood team. They have a specific style of play and it is very effective. Our team had some good opportunities to score but we simply didn't execute. When we needed that second level of intensity, it just wasn't quite there, whether it's due to a pair of NCAA matches in 48 hours or Northwood just having too much for us. I firmly believed that the winning team of today's match was going to make the national semifinals at a minimum.

Overall, we are extremely happy with the team. They have accomplished so much this season and have a lot to be proud of. We got to work with an amazing bunch of men and, most importantly, our staff got the opportunity to help shape the lives of young student-athletes. It's never easy to lose but I honestly cound not have been more proud of the season that the guys had. The seniors on the team, Rapha Stulz, Vaughn Frederick and Tyler Channell, are among the three most amazing young men I have ever had the pleasure of working with. That is ultimately what makes this job so rewarding!"

Up Next for the Cardinals...

Saginaw Valley finishes the 2015 season with an overall record of 15-4-1. The Cardinals competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fourth time in the past five seasons. SVSU loses just three seniors (Channell, Frederick, Stulz) from this year's squad. 

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