(Box Score) Grand Rapids, MI — It may have been a slightly different avenue, but the destination was the same for the Goshen College men’s soccer team, as the Leafs defeated Aquinas College by a 2-0 score in Saturday’s NAIA Region VIII Semi-Final in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The win propels Goshen (12-7-2, 5-3) to its second straight NAIA Region VIII Championship contest on Wednesday, as an upset win from Madonna University gives the Leafs — incredibly — a final game at the Goshen College Soccer Complex this season.
The culmination of Saturday’s results had Goshen head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj exuberant, as the Leafs stand just one win away from qualifying for the NAIA National Championships for the second straight year and fifth time overall in program history.
“It is very, very exciting that it is November and we are still playing soccer,” Mounsithiraj said late Saturday night. “Today we matched up with a very good Aquinas College side and it was a battle for us. I am just happy that we got back to the NAIA Regional Semi-Final. Fortunately, we were ready for the challenge today.”
The squad’s second straight trip to the regional semis came under vastly different circumstances from last year’s quest, as Goshen rode Mid-Central Conference regular-season and tournament championships to host Madonna University (click here for related article) in front of friendly confines in 2006.
This season, however, the Leafs were coming off a pair of disappointing losses to ranked Indiana Wesleyan University, thwarting the team a share of the regular-season league crown (click here for article) and outright tournament title (click here for article).
No problem.
Mounsithiraj’s team used its qualification-by-appearance entrance beautifully on Saturday, overcoming a 14-win Aquinas team and a fast-track artificial turf to keep its season alive.
“I’m not sure if we talked much about (our last two losses to Indiana Wesleyan), but we just came together and decided that this will not be our last game today,” Mounsithiraj said. “We want to keep playing. We wanted one more chance at the (NAIA regional) finals. I am so proud of the way our guys played today.”
Goshen overcame a slow start Saturday — Mounsithiraj called his team’s initial touches on the ball “just horrible” as a result of the artificial turf — before putting together one of its most convincing wins of the year. A long through ball from sophomore Scott Wilkinson found junior Cody Felton streaking toward the Saints’ goal at the game's 29th-minute mark, and Felton knew exactly what to do: Holding off his defender, Felton blasted a shot past Aquinas’ goalkeeper Ben Richardson for his fifth score of the season and third in the last four games.
“Early on we struggled a little bit playing on the artificial turf and we weren’t used to the bounce,” Mounsithiraj said. “Once we were able to overcome that we started to play really good soccer.”
That trait didn’t change in the second half, as Wilkinson was directly involved again 15 minutes into the latter period. After senior Tony Janzen out-dribbled a slew of Aquinas defenders, he sent a ball into the Saints’ 18-yard box, only for Wilkinson to corral the pass and put the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
“We talked at halftime that AC would come at us with nothing to lose being down one goal and our defenders really stepped up,” Mounsithiraj said. “Aquinas had very few good chances at our goal and (senior goalkeeper) Brad Graber seemed to be in the right spot all day long. With Aquinas pushing up looking for the equalizer goal, we were able to get some counter-attacks going and that’s how we got some good shots on goal in the second half. Scott’s score was off a counter that was set up beautifully by Tony.”
Statistics were relatively even for the squads — Goshen took 14 shots overall and seven on goal, Aquinas 12 and five — as both teams took a pair of corner kicks. It was Goshen that had the better scoring chances, however, with Janzen collecting a game-high six shots on frame.
“The whole team responded today,” Mounsithiraj said. “Even when we got up 2-0 there was a lot of soccer left to play. We really played great team defense to preserve our ninth shut-out of the year.”
In addition to that statistical nugget, Goshen’s senior class also became the all-time winningest class in program history with the Saturday victory, amassing 55 career wins. Seniors graduating following the 1999 season had been the all-time leaders with 54 total wins.
“To have 55 wins in four years says a lot about the level of consistency we’ve had here,” Mounsithiraj said. “Obviously, it’s been a collective effort over a lot of classes and individuals. It is a great honor to have in that it is a true team honor.”
This year’s elder statesmen can distance themselves further from the ’99 group with a win on Wednesday, and the team will have a chance to do it at home. Following Madonna University’s 2-1 win over 11th-ranked Indiana Wesleyan Saturday night, Goshen earned the NAIA Regional Championship host as a result of the NAIA’s alternating site rule: Each year, the MCC and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference rotate hosting regional championships (Goshen traveled to Cornerstone University in last year’s WHAC-hosted contest, click here for article).
Madonna’s win over IWU prevented yet another trip to Marion for the Leafs, as an IWU win would have pitted Goshen against the Wildcats for the third time in 18 days.
“We’re not even thinking about that (possibility) now,” Mounsithiraj said of the moot point. “Madonna is a great team, which is obvious after their win over Indiana Wesleyan. We will do our best to prepare with a short week. We’re excited to have a chance to qualify for nationals again, but most importantly to have that chance in front of our great fans. I’m sure it will be an awesome atmosphere.”
Goshen will host Madonna Wednesday for the NAIA Region VIII Championship and automatic berth to the upcoming NAIA National Championships, held this year at the College Boulevard Activities Center in Olathe, Kansas. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Goshen College Soccer Complex. Admission is $2 for students and $5 for adults.
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Sophomore Scott Wilkinson 
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