Mitchell S.D. –
After defeating South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and Mount Marty University, DWU has earned the bragging rights and the title "King of Soccer" in South Dakota. SDSMT and MMU are the only other 4-year colleges with men's soccer programs in the state of South Dakota. The Tigers outpaced the Lancers in the 2-0 win thanks to a huge performance from Lewis Cunningham scoring both goals for the Tigers.
How It Happened –
The Tigers wanted to add another game into the win column as DWU faced Mount Marty in chilly conditions and looked to put the Lancers away in this GPAC matchup. Both teams looked to find the weakness of the other during the opening minutes of the match, as the ball went back-and-forth between the two offenses. In the 6' the Tigers finally broke the tension and sent a shot through the Lancer defense but were unsuccessful in hitting the net. Hunter Birozy started to see action early as well, as he pulled in the a shot early in the match. Other than three yellow cards, the first half looked to be scoreless until Lewis Cunningham subbed into the match. Even with a broken hand, Cunningham was a beast on the pitch. He fired three shots in the first half, with the third one smoking the back of the net off a great feed from Michael Kelly. Mount Marty tried to answer before the half, but Birozy locked it down to keep the Tiger lead 1-0 as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
The Lancers looked to tie it up coming out of half, firing a handful of shots on goal at Birozy in the first 10 minutes of the second half, only to be stopped by the keeper's hands. Mount Marty kept the pressure against the DWU defense for the early portion of the half, as they hoped to equalize the match, but Birozy and his defenders would not allow it. It wasn't too long before Cunningham would re-enter the match and give the Tigers the push they needed. The Tiger defense quickly changed to offense and looked to Cunningham and Vladislav Burkov to extend the lead as the pair each had several opportunities to score. The Tigers were pushing the ball into Lancer territory, moving the ball around and Burkov found Jonathan Mosqueda streaking down the left side, beating his defender to the pass. Mosqueda gained possession and fired his crossing pass to Cunningham, who sailed his shot into the goal for his second of the match. Tigers grabbed the 2-0 lead and weren't going to stop there. Burkov would look two more times to extend the lead before the final buzzer. Birozy ended the match with seven saves and all five of Cunningham's shots were on goal.
Up Next for the Tigers –
The Tigers will be back at home for their Senior Night Match against Midland. The match is set to kick off at 2 PM in Mitchell, S.D. at the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex.