Great Midwest Men's Soccer Championship Page


TIFFIN, Ohio – Two of the colossal titans in the Midwest Region advanced from their respective Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship matchups in the semifinal round on Thursday.
 
With the tournament moved to Heidelberg following heavy rainfall, No. 1 Tiffin and No. 3 Ohio Valley are primed for a compelling championship showdown on Saturday.
 
The Dragons were the conference regular-season champion and tournament host, but survived a semifinal scare from No. 5 Lake Erie as the Storm gave Tiffin all it could handle in an overtime outcome.
 
LEC was able to hold a 2-0 advantage before Tiffin fought back in the rainy conditions to tie and end it on the golden goal from recently appointed Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year Kangni Gabianou.
 
The Dragons had earned a first-round bye in the six-team bracket prior to their first playoff appearance as a member of the Great Midwest.
 
The stars came out to shine as second team all-conference performers Javier Borreguero and Miguel Espinoza scored for the Storm.
 
The Dragons had goals or assists from Leo Hasenstab, coming off a hat trick to close out the regular season, Malik Suleman, Ramiesh McKnight and Gabianou, all of them one of the three all-conference units.
 
Ohio Valley returns to familiar territory in the conference title game looking to defend the trophy brought home to Vienna a year ago.
 
The Fighting Scots had their work cut out for them, needing to carve out a first-round quarterfinal win before making the trip to Tiffin. OVU rose to the occasion against No. 2 Cedarville on a neutral field, holding on for a 2-1 win.
 
Sophomore forward Jorge Pradillos scored in the 55th minute to give the Fighting Scots a 2-0 lead against first team all-conference goalie Carter Selvius. Nicolas Rodriguez scored and assisted on Pradillos’ eventual game winner as well.
 
Head coach Luis Rincon, who coaches both men’s and women’s championship-bound programs at OVU, had to make a tough decision to be with the men as his assistant Christian Galindo guided the women to the final.
 
The conference championship will be conducted at Heidelberg again on Saturday with a noon ET start between Ohio Valley and Tiffin.