Box Score

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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 23-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team defeated Harding University by a 6-2 margin Friday night at DeLoache Field.
 
The RiverHawks (10-2-4, 6-1-2 MIAA) have now hit double-digit wins for the second-straight year, and they finished the regular season tied with Fort Hays State for second in the MIAA. The Bisons (6-7-3, 3-6-0 MIAA) fell to 0-13-0 all-time against NSU and saw their season come to a close one game shy of .500.
 
The match started off on the highest of notes for the road side, as a shot by Cole Walker from distance just 49 seconds into play bounced off NSU sophomore goalkeeper Eric Shephard and into the back of the net.
 
The visitors stayed ahead for the first 24 minutes of play, but a three-goal barrage in just 56 seconds put Northeastern State on top for good.
 
Junior forward Juan Peralta scored at 24:01, and sophomore forward Joel Mendoza added a strike just 11 seconds later. In an attempt to outdue his running mate, Peralta put away his second of the match 45 seconds after Mendoza's marker.
 
The RiverHawks took the 3-1 edge into the locker room, and Peralta completed his first-career hat trick in the 55th minute. This is the second-straight year Northeastern State had a player record a hat trick against Harding in the regular-season finale (Mendoza last year).
 
Sophomore midfielder Crosby Lee added a fifth goal in the 75th minute, and Walker answered for Harding in the 86th minute. Junior defender Terence Smith put a cap on proceedings with a strong finish in the 87th minute to push the result to the final 6-2 margin.
 
Northeastern State outshot Harding 25-9, and the home side led in corner kicks 7-4.
 
Shephard (5-1-3) posted four saves in the winning effort, while HU goalkeeper Seth Peterson (1-4-2) made nine saves for the visitors.
 
NSU celebrated its Senior Day following the completion of the match, and the team honored defender Bobby Behrens and midfielders Edgar Gonzaga, Juan Gonzalez and Jacob Lovelee.
 
Northeastern State will enter the 2013 MIAA Championship as the No. 3 seed, and the team will face off with No. 18-ranked and second-seeded Fort Hays State in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Nov. 7 in Olathe, Kan.
 
Scoring Summary
HU                   1          1          –          2
NSU                 3          3          –          6
 
Individual Scoring
Cole Walker (HU) at 0:49 (unassisted)
Juan Peralta (NSU) at 24:01 (Jordan Schmoker)
Joel Mendoza (NSU) at 24:12 (Jordan Schmoker)
Juan Peralta (NSU) at 24:57 (Paul Samia)
Juan Peralta (NSU) at 54:21 (Juan Gonzalez)
Crosby Lee (NSU) at 74:08 (Joel Mendoza, Josue Morales)
Cole Walker (HU) at 85:23 (unassisted)
Terence Smith (NSU) at 86:19 (Brandon Carter)
 
Goalkeeper Saves
Seth Peterson (HU) – 9
Eric Shephard (NSU) – 4
 
NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH ROB CZLONKA
Statement…
"This was a great night for Senior Night. We started off a little slow, but I had all the confidence that our guys would wake up and take advantage of the rest they've had over the last few days. They were able to do that, and they put up six goals. We gave up one at the end because we were caught off guard and we were a little overconfident, but I thought Juan Peralta did a great job scoring a hat trick. What a great night for him. Jordan Schmoker got two assists and looked like he was back on form. I thought our seniors played really well. Juan Gonzalez hit the post, and I thought he was going to score. Edgar Gonzaga had several opportunities to score. Jacob Lovelee was in on goal several times. I was very happy for them. I was a little sad that our captain, Bobby Behrens, wasn't able to contribute minutes because of his injury, but I was very happy with how everybody played."
 
On the momentum going into the third match of the season against Fort Hays State…
"You can't ask for much more when you're scoring as many goals as we have going into the conference championship. I just hope our guys can get plenty of rest and get focused. Hopefully we will be well-motivated and ready to take on the Tigers. They are a strong side and we always have great matches against them."
 
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