Mustangs hang with defending national champs

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Mount Mercy men's soccer team gave defending NAIA national champion Missouri Valley all they could handle on Saturday, but a pair of late-game goals provided the seventh-ranked Vikings a 2-0 victory over the Mustangs in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

Shots were 17-4 in favor of Missouri Valley (9-2-0, 5-2-0 Heart), which put eight of those on frame compared to two for Mount Mercy (6-6-0, 3-4-0 Heart). Lucca Munhoz stopped six of them, but Stevan Milosevic (73') and Ruben Jimenez (89') found the back of the net, snapping the Mustangs' two-game winning streak.

Mount Mercy hosts another top-10 team next weekend as 10th-ranked Baker visits Hadzic Field at 3:30 pm. The Mustangs are at William Penn on Oct. 19 at 7:30 pm in Oskaloosa and Evangel on Oct. 23 at 2:30 pm in Springfield, Mo.