THE JUNGLE SOCCER COMPLEX | MOBILE, Ala. - After securing the 2023 SSAC Men's Soccer Regular Season Championship and top seed of the conference tournament, the University of Mobile Men's Soccer team hosted Blue Mountain Christian University (Miss.) on Saturday evening, Nov. 2 to begin postseason play. Blue Mountain, led by former Ram and MLS star Michael Azira, entered Saturday as the No. 8 seed, looking to upset the top-seeded Rams in the quarterfinals. However, Mobile proved to be too much for the Toppers, eventually winning the match 3-0 to advance to the semifinals of the SSAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament in Montgomery, Ala.
Mobile enters the conference semifinals as the seventh-ranked team in the NAIA and with a 12-2-2 overall record, having won 10-straight matches.
Match Recap: Offense Sparks in Second Half for Mobile
After opening postseason play on Saturday, Mobile and Blue Mountain together worked a scoreless first half of the game, similar to the regular season match played between the two programs on Sept. 21. Mobile eventually defeated Blue Mountain in the regular season 1-0 after a goal in the 55th minute. In the quarterfinal match, the Rams put up nine shots in the first half alone, but were unable to notch their first goal. Blue Mountain only tallied two shots through the first 45 minutes.
Coming out of halftime, Mobile hit the scoreboard just one minute into the second half as Zacharia Hasler dribbled past a Blue Mountain defender for an open look and shot. Jeb Scarbrough earned the assist on Hasler's goal, stealing and passing the ball to Hasler before the shot. Down 1-0, pressure became heavy on the Topper offense as the 2023 season began to fade. Just under 15 minutes after Mobile's first goal, the Rams scored their second off a header by Sebastian Jorgge. Jorgge's header goal came after a corner kick by Ivan Jolivet, who was awarded the assist.
Later in the 78th minute, Mobile added an insurance goal to put the match away. Joseph McMahon picked up the goal for Mobile, with Tom Carles being credited with the assist. The match went final at 3-0 as Blue Mountain saw the 2023 season come to an end. For Mobile, the Rams' 2023 season will continue in the semifinals after the shutout victory over Blue Mountain.
Mobile goalkeeper Ty Turner turned in another clean sheet in net for Mobile, picking up two saves in the full 90 minutes. Mobile out-shot the Toppers 18-3, with six shots being recorded on-goal. Both teams were called for 12 fouls a piece, while Mobile won the corner kick differential, 6-0.
SSAC Men's Soccer Semifinals
The Rams will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. CT for semifinal action, awaiting the winner of the Faulkner (Ala.) v. Thomas (Ga.) match. Next week's semifinals will be played at the Emory Folmar YMCA Complex in Montgomery, Ala. Winner of the semifinal match advances to the championship match two days later in Montgomery, Ala.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams (Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
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.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
