NEW CONCORD, Ohio – Ignacio Diaz scored two goals, including a penalty kick, as No. 1 seed Ohio Valley put the finishing touches on a perfect run through the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship bracket on Saturday.
Win or lose, the Fighting Scots had already locked themselves into the field for the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional, but a program ranked sixth nationally and first in the region wanted more.
Ohio Valley beat No. 2 seed Davis & Elkins (14-3-2 overall) in the championship final by a 3-1 decision, bringing home the institution’s first-ever conference championship trophy.
Ohio Valley (17-1-3 overall) will now await the unveiling of the NCAA Championship bracket with the selection show being aired on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Davis & Elkins’ body of work throughout the course of the season is more than enough to warrant serious consideration as an at-large selection in the Midwest Region. The Senators were ranked fourth earlier this week in the region.
For the league, it would be a notable accomplishment and a first to get two teams into the national tournament in a single season.
Fighting Scots senior goalkeeper Carlos Rubio, who tied the conference all-time win mark against Cedarville in the semifinals, now sits alone at the top with 37 career wins wearing the dark green #13 jersey behind net.
Similar to what teammate Alex Horveno said following OVU’s semifinal triumph, Rubio explained the Fighting Scots have put high expectations on themselves for a deep postseason run.
“It was hard to sleep yesterday, but as a team we know this was our goal – it is not the end,” Rubio said. “We knew this was an important game and our first time to be in the final and we wanted this trophy so bad. We know that from here, anything can happen, and we’re going to work as a team because we haven’t achieved anything yet. This is good, but it is not our main goal.”
Rubio had command as the general of the defense, organizing his troops and barking orders to his teammates. The Fighting Scots were swarming to the ball and controlled possession for a considerable portion of the first half.
The Fighting Scots’ defense was up to the task against four first-team all-conference selections the Senators featured, Tim Staerz, Pablo Salvador Lopez, Friedrich Peter and Rafa Moreno.
Diaz eventually broke open the scoring in the 35th minute as he cut through the defense on the back side and drilled in a deflection. He also added a converted PK midway through the second half to complete the scoring.
After falling behind 2-0, the Senators countered quickly following a wild ricochet in the box that Salvador Lopez was able to put in the goal. OVU would end up outshooting D&E by a final count of 17-6.
The program has been building up to this moment for three years since Luis Rincon’s arrival as head coach – and the team savored every part of it.
The international pride was on display in the awards ceremony as numerous players were draped in the flags of their native countries while basking in long-awaited celebration.
Rincon, the Great Midwest Coach of the Year for both the men and women quickly turned his focus to getting ready for the women’s contest at Muskingum University, where he would have a chance to start the celebration all over again.