Horizon League Men’s Soccer Tournament Semifinals (Nov. 9):
(2) Cleveland State 1, (4) Valparaiso 0
(6) Loyola 1, (1) Detroit
DETROIT – Two 1-0 results set the way for the 2012 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship. Cleveland State and Loyola emerged in taut contests at Titans Field, and will face off in Sunday’s championship.
(2) Cleveland State 1, (4) Valparaiso 0
With two of the Horizon League’s top keepers and a stout midfield on both sides, Friday’s first League Tournament Semifinal figured to be a low-scoring affair. The match played that way, with Admir Suljevic’s first-half goal sending Cleveland State to its third Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship game.
Cleveland State (10-5-3) had just a handful of chances in the match, forcing Valparaiso (6-9-5) goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck into just two saves. However, the Vikings cashed in one of those opportunities in the 35th minute, when Christian Arboleda attempted a shot, only to see it blocked across the six-yard box. However, it came to the foot of Admir Suljevic, who caught enough of the shot to send it to the lower right corner of the net.
The Vikings were able to lock down the middle of the field for the majority of the match, and when the Crusaders were able to beat the defense, Brad Stuver stood tall in net. Stuver made five saves in the match, none more impressive than a save midway through the first half, when Nick Suker drove down the right side of the field and had an angle on net.
Suker’s shot was to the far left post, and Stuver dove to his right, getting a paw on the shot to deflect it wide. Ten minutes later, Suljevic put the Vikings ahead.
The appearance in the Horizon League Championship is the third in Cleveland State’s history; the Vikings lost the in the League title game in both 2008 and 2002.
(6) Loyola 1, (1) Detroit 0
The recipe remains the same for the Loyola Ramblers: get into the Horizon League Tournament, and when the lights get the brightest, rely on Peter McKeown. McKeown’s nine saves kept the Ramblers in the match, and Nick Sanchez’s goal sent Loyola to a 1-0 victory over top-seeded Detroit on Friday afternoon.
Just as it did last year, Loyola (5-11-2) will play for the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship as the No. 6 seed. The Ramblers earned the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 overtime win against Wright State last year.
The Rambler relied on McKeown’s stellar effort in net to thwart a consistently dangerous Detroit (10-9-0) attack. Horizon League Player of the Year Adam Bedell had six shots on goal in the match, including two point-blank looks on headers in the second half, but McKeown was in position for the saves.
The shutout is McKeown’s fourth in his last five Horizon League Men’s Soccer Tournament matches.
With McKeown keeping Detroit out of the net, the Ramblers were able to net the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute, after Brian Bement took possession on the left sideline. Bement was able to drive nearly 45 yards down the sideline with a defender draped on his back before crossing the ball to Nick Sanchez, who beat Nathan Steinwascher.
Pressing forward, Detroit had several attempts in the final stages, but the Loyola defense, led by McKeown, was there at every turn.
Loyola hosted Cleveland State in the regular season on Oct. 24, with the Vikings taking a 3-2 overtime win at Loyola Soccer Park.
