JACK ALLEN SOCCER COMPLEX - DECATUR, Ala. - The University of Mobile Men's Soccer team faced off against Indiana Tech on Thursday evening, Dec. 2 in a quarterfinal match of the 63rd Annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. Thursday's match was the first match played at the final site in Decatur, Ala. for both teams this season and just the second time the two programs have faced one another. Mobile defeated Indiana Tech 2-0 in the 2019 NAIA Men's Soccer Opening Round for their first meeting. On Thursday, a winner was not decided by the end of double-overtime, marking the first shootout of the final site. Mobile came away with the 4-3 victory in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals.
Entering Thursday's match, the Rams of Mobile earned the No. 3 seed of the national tournament, while Indiana Tech was given the No. 6 seed. With Mobile's victory, Indiana Tech has been eliminated and the Rams will advance to battle the No. 7 seed Columbia College (Mo.) on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4:00 p.m. CT. Columbia College defeated the No. 2 seed Oklahoma Wesleyan on Thursday afternoon to earn a spot in the semifinals. Winner of Saturday's match will advance to the 2021 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship match.
Match Notes/Recap
As expected prior, Thursday night's match between Mobile and Indiana Tech proved to be a battle as both teams rank in the top 10 in the NAIA in fewest goals allowed on the 2021 season. After 110 minutes of action, neither team managed to hit the scoreboard, forcing the match to go to a best of five penalty kick shootout.
Indiana Tech shot first and missed right off the post. Alejo Binaghi followed and scored Mobile's first penalty kick. Indiana Tech managed to tie it for the Warriors while the Rams missed on their next attempt.
In the third round, both teams scored, bringing it to a 2-2 tie. Mobile goalkeeper Antoine Bedos then came up with a massive save diving to his right for Mobile in the next round, forcing Indiana Tech their second miss of the shootout.
With the match on the line, Indiana Tech managed to net things at 3-3 and kept the shootout going. Following Indiana Tech's made attempt, Mobile needed just one made penalty kick to win the match and advance.
In one swift motion, Sebastian Jorgge of Mobile ended Indiana Tech's season in heartbreak after making Mobile's fourth and final penalty kick to give the Rams the victory.
Throughout the match, Bedos only had one save for Mobile, but it proved to be the most important one. The Rams recorded 16 shots to 11 for the Warriors, with seven of those shots being on-goal. Indiana Tech did not record a shot-on-goal in the 110 minutes of playing time prior to the shootout.
With the advancement to the semifinals, Mobile's record moves to 17-2-1 on the year. The Rams currently sit two wins away from claiming their second-ever NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship banner.
63rd Annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Bracket (updated): https://www.naia.org/sports/msoc/2021-22/files/2021_MSOC_Championship_Bracket-5.pdf
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.
