KISSIMMEE, Flor. -- In their second day of pool play, the North Central University (NCU) men's soccer team battled the Tigers from Grace Christian University (GCU) in the NCCAA National Tournament. With a second half goal, the Rams shut out GCU with a score of 1-0.

Game Vitals

• NCU, as the #6 seed, were the underdogs in this match, facing the #3 seeded Tigers.
• In order to have a shot at the championship game, the Rams needed a win for keep their season alive.

Game Recap

Trying to keep their season alive, NCU buckled down to face off against the higher ranked Tigers. Even so, the Rams did not look intimidated. Their play and talent matched and surpassed GCU in all areas of the field. NCU got the first two shot attempt off, both coming from a corner. The first was a header from Jerad Buse (Kearney, NE, Kearney High School) that was blocked by the Tigers' defense and the second was a shot from Adam Vang (Green Bay, WI, Green Bay Southwest High School) that went just high of the goal. GCU had a couple close offensive attempts as the first half went on, but center backs Tyler Johnsen (Lindstrom, MN, Chisago Lakes High School) and Rodrigo De Mendoza (Panama City, Panama, Crossroads Christian Academy) sprinted to get back in position to clear the ball from the Tigers' feet.

NCU goalkeeper, Sam Thurston (Crystal, MN, Robbinsdale Cooper), helped keep the Rams in the game with seven saves, many of which should have been goals for GCU. Coming into the second half, NCU's offense kept building and the momentum shifted their way. A foul in the 51st minute set up a free kick for the Rams on the right side of the field on the Tiger's half. The ball went all the way across the goal, but Anthony Medina (Elk River, MN) hustled to keep it in and played another cross from the left side. After the ball was jumbled around in the box, it landed at the foot De Mendoza who shot a rocket into the back of the net, causing a huge celebration from NCU. With the remaining 40 minutes, the Rams played tough defense, not allowing the Tigers to score and therefore, winning the game.

Looking Ahead

With this win, the Rams will have to wait for the outcome of the GCU and Randall University (RU) game, RU being the team NCU played first in the pool play. NCU needs a GCU win to even a chance to play in the finals. For more information about tournament tie breakers, click here for official NCCAA rules. And for further updates on the Rams' season, all fans are encouraged to follow official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages.