Postseason hopes boosted by win over Yellowjackets

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Needing a pair of wins to earn a spot in the Heart of America Athletic Conference postseason tournament, the Mount Mercy men's soccer team began the final week of the regular season with a decisive 6-0 win over Graceland on Wednesday night at Hadzic Field.

Eight teams qualify for the Heart of America Men's Soccer Championship, which begins next week. The Mustangs (8-8-0, 5-6-0 Heart) moved into that No. 8 spot after defeating the Yellowjackets (8-7-2, 4-7-1 Heart) but most likely need a road win on Saturday at Benedictine (6-8-2, 3-6-2 Heart) to make the postseason. Kickoff is 7:30 pm in Atchison, Kan.

Mount Mercy played like their postseason lives depended on it Wednesday, taking a 2-0 halftime lead and scoring four times during the final 45 to deflate Graceland, another squad hoping to slide into the postseason tournament. Antonio Cuellar (18') and Jake Cawkwell (37') had the first-half goals. After the break it was Taiga Tanabe (47'), Yu Sasaki (50'), Oguzhan Bozkan (63'), and Ingram Kusaloka (83') tacking on scores.