Pride Unable to Overcome Ashland in GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals​
HAMMOND, Ind. — The Purdue Northwest men’s soccer team was defeated Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the GLIAC tournament by the #6-seed Ashland Eagles 1-0.
PNW came into the 2018 tournament with significant momentum, as the squad had won each of its last four matches. The two teams were battling throughout the first half, as neither one was able to put a goal on the board. Isaiah Nieves (Lyons Township, Ill./Lyons Township) had a chance in the 18th minute but his shot deflected off the knees of the Ashland keeper.
The second half was more of the same, as Felix Guenzel (Munich, Germany/Anne-Frank Gymnasium Erding) had several shots on goal early in the period. As the Eagles continued to control time of possession, they finally were able to capitalize on a miscue from the Pride backline and Haruki Kimura knocked it into the back right corner to give Ashland the advantage.
PNW had one last opportunity in the final minutes, as a corner from Enrique Serna was knocked away by the Eagle defense and time ran out on the black and gold. Purdue Northwest ends the season with a 9-7-1 record, which is five wins more than they had last year in the program’s inaugural season in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pride also earned an opportunity to host the university’s first-ever GLIAC postseason competition.