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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 22-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team saw its season come to a close in the NCAA Quarterfinals when No. 12 Saginaw Valley State scored a game-winning goal in the final minute of double overtime Sunday afternoon at DeLoache Field.
 
The two teams battled to a 0-0 tie through the first 109 minutes of play, but Zach Myers took a pass from Zach Walega and was able to send a screaming shot low far post into the net at the 109:05 mark. The two teams were a mere 55 seconds away from a penalty-kick shootout.
 
Saginaw Valley State (17-2-4) will now face No. 2 Simon Fraser on Nov. 29 in the NCAA Semifinals in Evans, Ga.
 
The RiverHawks ended the year at 13-5-3 despite outshooting the Cardinals by a 26-9 margin. NSU also put 11 shots on frame to just two from the visitors.
 
SVSU goalkeeper Jason Wise was sensational in net, making 10 saves to improve to 14-2-3 on the season. Freshman goalkeeper Eric Shephard (4-1-1) suffered his first collegiate loss after allowing the game-winning goal. He made one save in the match.
 
Northeastern State entered the NCAA Quarterfinals on the heels of a 6-3 victory Friday over Fort Hays State. The win was the first for NSU in program history in the NCAA Championship, and the six goals are the most scored in a game by any team in the national tournament this season.
 
Scoring Summary
SVSU               0          0          0          1          –          1
NSU                 0          0          0          0          –          0
 
Individual Scoring
Zach Myers (SVSU) at 109:05 (Zach Walega)
 
Goalkeeper Saves
Jason Wise (SVSU) – 10
Eric Shephard (NSU) – 1
 
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NORTHEASTERN STATE HEAD COACH ROB CZLONKA
On his thoughts…
“It's frustrating that guys could play so very well and the season come to an end the way it did. We really played aggressive, dominant possession, attack-style soccer. It's a game of two sides. We attacked very well. They're a very defensive team, and they're looking for the one opportunity. When it presented itself, they got it. Good luck to them. I'm super frustrated for our guys. They deserve better. They played so well.”
 
On how the team played down the stretch this season…
“I've just been so proud of the guys the last couple games. Friday night and today was the best soccer I've seen out of them. Everybody had a good game today. I don't even know how that ball presented itself to that player for the score, but it's just a freakish, bad-luck type of thing. Everybody had a great game.”
 
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE HEAD COACH CALE WASSERMAN
On the game…
“I'm just proud of the team. I'm extremely proud of the grind all season long as we tried to work towards this level. We wanted to prove we could compete against the best teams, and I'm just proud of the guys effort.”
 
On heading to the NCAA Semifinals…
“We're extremely excited. It's another first for the program. It's a goal that we set a few years ago when we made the turnaround in the program. We're happy to be in a position to compete for a national championship, because that's our ultimate goal.”
 
On goalkeeper Jason Wise…
“To me, Jason Wise is the best goalkeeper in the country. He continues week in and week out to be a leader. He makes saves in the air, and he makes saves on the ground. He's a senior, and he's going out the way he deserves to.”
 
On the game-winning goal…
“We faced a lot of pressure on our end throughout the game. We knew if we could get into our attacking third that we've got the players to score goals. Zach Myers scoring his 16th goal of the year. He's just so quick and aggressive in front of the goal. When Zach Walega laid that ball off to him, before it even went in I knew it was a goal.”
 
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE SENIOR ZACH MYERS
On how he's feeling…
“It's surreal. I just can't believe we made it here. Guys battled for almost 110 minutes. It's been a long journey. I just can't really believe it right now.”
 
On scoring in the final minute of double overtime…
“It took too long, but that's how we've played all year. We battled.”
 
On the team's plans prior to heading to Georgia…
“The first thing we have to do is get healthy. Guys are tired right now. We don't know much about Simon Fraser. Obviously they are a great team because they're the second-ranked team in the country. We'll prepare for the next couple weeks and we'll be ready to go when we get down there.”
 
On Northeastern State's attacking style of play…
“Northeastern State was a really good side. We were just trying to stay focused and stay together defensively. We like to pick our spots, and it was tough because they were possessing the ball the majority of the time. We just stayed focused and made sure that when things got tough, we regrouped and battled through it.”