ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's soccer program won their second GLIAC tournament title in three years Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals (12-5-1, 8-4-0 GLIAC) tied Roosevelt 1-1 and won the championship in a five-round penalty kick shootout outscoring the Lakers (11-4-3, 8-4-0 GLIAC) 4-3.
SVSU tied RU in conference points at the end of the regular season but lost both matches against Roosevelt giving RU the number one see and home field advantage for the tournament. In the third meeting of the season, both teams had nine shots as the Lakers had four on goal to the Cardinals two. Nick Kay played 110 minutes in net for SVSU stopping three of the four shots he faced while Jayden Cameron had four shots, two on goal, and the tying goal in the 72nd minute for Saginaw Valley.
Roosevelt led with 71% possession in the first half and scored the go-ahead go I the 40th minute to take the lead into the halftime break. Shots were tied in the second half as the physicality picked up. The Lakers had 11 fouls in the second half as eight yellow cards were handed out in the 45-minute period. Five to the Cardinals and three to the Lakers. Saginaw Valley took advantage of the second yellow card as Cameron scored to make it 1-1 on the ensuing free kick. His second goal in as many matches and his team leading ninth of the year came at no better time for SVSU.
After 90 minutes, extra time was needed to decide who would take home the 2024 GLIAC tournament crown. Two 10-minute periods were played as neither team scored, but both got a high-quality chance in the last couple of minutes. Anthony Waller had a shot miss over the crossbar by a couple of feet while the Lakers had a header go over the net as well.
A five-round penalty kick shootout was needed after 110 minutes. Roosevelt shot first, missing off the crossbar in their first opportunity. Saginaw Valley took the lead as Matty Telfer scored their first shot. RU tied it 1-1 as Ryan Bovee missed his chance. The Lakers took their only lead of the penalty kicks before Elliot Nottoli knotted things at 2-2. Kay saved the fourth shot by the Lakers and Alex Demorow scored to take a 3-2 lead. Again, Roosevelt tied it, but Francisco Capellan stepped up. The graduate transfer netted the fifth attempt to claim the championship for the Cardinals.
Head coach Louis Barrow had this to say about the win,
"When it comes to penalties, it's all about who can control their emotions most. So, we spoke before the penalties about slowing our heart rate down, composing ourselves, picking our spots, being true, being confident, and hitting them with conviction, and the lads did that fantastically."
Up Next: Saginaw Valley men's soccer sits as the number one team in Super-Region 3 in the NCAA DII regional rankings and waits to see who they will play in the NCAA regionals. The selection show is set for 6:30 PM EST tomorrow, Monday, November 18.