One victory separates four teams from advancing within grasp of a NCAA Tournament bid at the Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament. After victories on Tuesday night, Loyola and Green Bay will look to keep momentum as the tournament shifts to the venue of the No. 1 seed, Valparaiso. Both of Friday's matches will be carried live on the Horizon League Network.
Semifinal Match #1 - (4) Green Bay vs. (2) Wright State - 5 p.m. ET
Wright State (10-6-2, 5-2-1 Horizon) holds the distinction of being the last League team to hand Green Bay (11-6-1, 5-3-0 Horizon) a loss in conference play. The Raiders knocked off the visiting Phoenix, 2-1, on Oct. 29, with Drake Stewart netting his first two goals of the season to lead WSU.
Craig Feehan made four saves for Wright State, holding off the Phoenix after Tony Walls sliced the deficit in half at the 28' mark of the first.
Semifinal Match #2 - (6) Loyola at (1) Valparaiso - 8 p.m. ET
Loyola (6-11-1, 3-5-0 Horizon) played Valparaiso (9-6-4, 5-1-2 Horizon) tough at Loyola Soccer Park late in October, falling 1-0; now the challenge will be in knocking off the Crusaders at Brown Field to advance to the League Championship.
With both teams valuing possession, it was the Crusaders who were able to tally the lone goal of the match, coming when Charles Barden found the back of the net in the 59th minute. Valpo's defense did not allow a shot on goal in the match, with Kyle Zobeck tallying the shutout with no saves.
