Upsets Rule, Greenville and Iowa Wesleyan To Square Off In Championship

Upsets Rule, Greenville and Iowa Wesleyan To Square Off In Championship

For the second straight postseason, the SLIAC Men's Soccer Championship game will pit the #3 seed against the #4 seed. This year it was Iowa Wesleyan University knocking off the top seed and Greenville University advancing on penalty kicks.

Inside the Game - #4 Iowa Wesleyan vs. #1 Spalding - BOX SCORE
The Tigers showed no signs of being nervous in the school's first-ever postseason game, scoring just 2:41 into the start of the semifinals. Mariano Mateo scored off a free kick to put the Tigers on top. Host Spalding quickly answered back when Abnel St. Fleur evened the score up 10-minutes later on a pass from Kornell Hilliard. The scoring continued when Francisco Saldana found the back of the net in the 29th minute to put Iowa Wesleyan up 2-1. The game remained that way until the final whistle as the Tigers defense limited the Golden Eagles to just one shot in the second half, with Iowa Wesleyan out shooting Spalding 20-8 in the game.

  • Iowa Wesleyan continued to add to their historic season; recording the school's first SLIAC postseason win in their first appearance.
  • Iowa Wesleyan is on a three-game winning streak, their longest this season.

Inside the Game - #3 Greenville vs. #2 Webster - BOX SCORE
After the two teams played a total of 220 scoreless minutes this season, it would come down to penalty kicks between Greenville and Webster to decide who would advance to this year's conference championship game. The two teams had a scoreless tie in their regular season meeting and once again neither defense would give on Thursday night, sending the game into the decisive penalty kicks. Neither team was without their chances in regulation with a combined 30 shots but both keepers (Greenville's Nick Holland and Webster's Matt Coffey) made several standout saves to keep the game scoreless. Both teams connected on their first two penalty kicks but then Michael Gonzalez would stop two straight attempts to give Greenville the edge. 

  • This is Greenville's first appearance in the championship game since the 2011 season. 
  • The Panthers have won the SLIAC Tournament three times in program history (2008, 2010, and 2011).

What is Next - Iowa Wesleyan at Greenville 
Greenville will host the SLIAC Men's Soccer Championship game for the first time since 2011, in a similar situation when the Panthers hosted as the #3 seed, facing #4 seed. Webster. Greenville defeated Iowa Wesleyan 1-0 in their regular season meeting this year. The 2018 SLIAC Championship game will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 3. You can catch the game live on video stream thanks to CollegeCasts.