MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The University of Mobile Men's Soccer program, who earned the No. 1 seed in the SSAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament after claiming the 2021 regular season championship, faced the William Carey in the SSAC Men's Soccer Championship match on Friday night, Nov. 12. William Carey entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and managed to defeat the Rams 3-2 to win the 2021 SSAC Men's Soccer Championship.
Both teams entered ranked in the top 25 of the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll with Mobile sitting at No. 4 and William Carey at No. 12. Both teams will see their seasons continue in the upcoming NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round. Mobile has already received a host bid for the opening round starting on Nov. 18.
How the SSAC Championship Happened
- Mobile entered the match without starting goalkeeper Antoine Bedos who is dealing with a minor injury.
- Mobile actually out-shot the Crusaders 24-12 and held a 9-4 edge in shots on frame, but the William Carey goalkeeper collected six saves for the Crusaders.
- The two teams alternated shots and Mobile never held a lead, but tied the score twice.
- William Carey opened the scoring just five minutes into the contest, and then the teams traded goals to make it 2-1 Crusaders. Mobile's first goal was scored by Jose Sanabria in the 20th minute. William Carey answered with their second goal ten minutes later.
- The Rams' offensive leader and SSAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year, Alejo Binaghi, then headed home a rebound from a Ronaldo Fortune shot in the 57th minute to tie the match a two goals a piece.
- That score held up until William Carey was awarded a penalty kick and converted the PK in the 72nd minute.
Scoring Summary
5:40 – WCU – Silvio Xavier (Clairy Kengeye)
20:54 – MOB – Jose Sanabria
30:13 – WCU – Sacha Vandersteene (Juan Ruiz Cabello)
57:37 – MOB – Alejo Binaghi (Ronaldo Fortune)
72:18 – WCU – Brandon Bermingham (PK)
The NAIA has yet to announce the three teams joining Mobile for the NAIA Men's Soccer Opening Round on Thursday, Nov. 18. Two matches will be played on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT with the winners of those two matches scheduled to face off on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 5:00 p.m. CT for a spot to the final site of the national tournament on the line.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
