Win over Ravens pushes Mustangs into postseason

ATCHISON, Kan. -- Yuhei Matsushita scored the game-winner in the 73rd minute, propelling the Mount Mercy men's soccer team into the postseason with a 3-2 victory over Benedictine in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match on Saturday night at Legacy Field.

The win gave the Mustangs (10-8-0, 7-6-0 Heart) the No. 6 seed in the Heart of America Men's Soccer Championships where they will face third-seeded MidAmerica Nazarene (11-5-1, 8-3-1 Heart) in a Friday quarterfinal at 3:30 pm in Olathe, Kan. The winner advances to the Heart semfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The tournament concludes with a championship match on Friday, Nov. 12.

Saturday's match at Benedictine went back-and-forth. Mount Mercy surrendered a pair of leads before getting the clinching goal. Things started well for the Mustangs when Yu Sasaki found the back of the net just 46 seconds into the match to put Mount Mercy ahead, 1-0. Girma Kassa tied it for Benedictine in the 19th minute, then less than five minutes later the Mustangs' Goncalo Reis converted a corner kick by Oguzhan Bozkan for the second lead of the game.

Mount Mercy held onto that 2-1 advantage until the 68th minute when Adem Aroua leveled the match. Again, less than five minutes after the Ravens tied it, the Mustangs regained the lead on what proved to be Matsushita's game-winning goal in the 73rd minute.

Neither team reached double figures in shots. Benedictine held the advantage in total shots, 8-7, as well as shots on goal, 7-5, but Mount Mercy was able to capitalize on its opportunities to pick up their third-straight win. Joao Pedro Oliveira had four saves for the Mustangs.