Box Score (HTML)  I  Box Score (PDF)

OLATHE, Kan. – The No. 14-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team used a pair of first-half goals to defeat Upper Iowa 2-1 in the 2014 MIAA Championship semifinals Thursday evening at College Boulevard Activities Center.
 
The RiverHawks (15-3-1), who are the top-seeded side, move on to the finals of the tournament and will face No. 3 seed Lindenwood at 11 a.m. Nov. 8. The Lions upset No. 2 seed Fort Hays State 2-0 in the first semifinal. The Lions have won the last two tournament championships, which includes a 1-0 decision over NSU in 2012.

NSU's victory ended the season for the Peacocks (10-7-2) and gave the green and white a 3-0 record over UIU this year. Upper Iowa also saw its five-match unbeaten streak halted.
 
Northeastern State started the scoring with a 22nd-minute goal from senior midfielder Jordan Schmoker. He received a pass from freshman forward Ricardo Palomino along the right side and shot the ball into the far left corner of the net.
 
Freshman forward Justin Todd added a second goal in the 41st minute. The unassisted marker was scored after an initial shot was blocked back to Todd. The game-winning shot deflected off a UIU defender and went into the near left post.
 
Ryan Pinkerton cut the Northeastern State lead in half with a goal 39 seconds before half, but the Peacocks were unable to attempt a shot on frame in the final 45 minutes as NSU remained on top.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Jackson Biles (14-3-1) saved one shot on goal and earned his 14th win in net this year. Connor Rortvedt (9-7-2) saved five shots for the Peacocks and took the loss after letting in two goals.
 
NSU outshot UIU 21-11 and led in corner kicks 5-1.
 
The 15 victories this season for the RiverHawks are the second most in school history (18 in 2004). Schmoker now has 31 points on the season (9g-13a) and is tied for third-most in a single season in MIAA history. He leads the league in goals and points, and is the nation's leader in assists.

NORTHEASTERN STATE COACH ROB CZLONKA
Opening Statement…
 "It's an emotional day going into postseason. We wanted to see how we were going to handle knockout stages and this was a great test. There are four solid teams here and Upper Iowa is a solid, blue collar, rugged team. They've got some talent as well. Getting our guys mentally prepared for this type of thing is different than a typical game, but our guys were extremely focused. We unfortunately gave up a goal. That was a lack of concentration. We talked about it at halftime and I think we sorted it out."
 
On the defense stepping up…
"Our defense has been great all season. When we gave up that goal in the last minute of the first half our guys were kind of shocked. I think they had already kind of checked out before that moment. We talked to them about how important it is to finish off a game. Jackson Biles, Terence [Smith], Crosby [Lee], Adam [Schmoker] and [Chance] Miller are all top level players and they mentally know that they had made a mistake. I think they showed it in the second half that they are better than that moment."
 
On Saturday's championship match against Lindenwood…
"I think it will be a tough match. Lindenwood definitely looked better today than they did all season. I think we look better in some areas than we have going into the final bits of the year. That's what you want; you want your team to be peaking at the end. It will be a tough match. They're very good in the air, and they're very good with using their heads. We'll have to take a look at that and prepare ourselves."
 
-GoRiverHawksGo.com-