In the 65th minute, Ovelar Semeniuk, the GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, scored his 14th goal of the season, and 30th of his career, on assists from Harrison Bensouda and Jackson Elgas. In the 80th minute, Linares netted his fifth game-winning goal – out of nine total goals – with an 80th-minute strike to record the latest game-winning goal in a GAC/MIAA final.
The Tigers (17-0-3) became the third team in the 11-year history of the league, and the first since Rogers State in 2019, to win the title after allowing the first goal of the contest. For only the third time all season, the Tigers surrendered the game’s opening goal. In the 43rd minute, Noah Preston-Watkins converted the Hillcats’ first shot on goal of the game for his fourth goal of the season.
The Tiger defense limited the Hillcats (12-3-5) to just four shots and only two on goal. GAC Newcomer of the Year Payton Roehrich made a critical second-half save to preserve the victory. Tiger defender Tonnes Daland garnered Tournament MVP honors.
Ovelar Semeniuk made the All-Tournament Team as did midfielder Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, Joseph Street and Tadhg Walsh from the Tigers.
Goalkeeper Jaxon Kendall plus defenders Tom Dixon and Alex Fletcher represented the Hillcats. Newman’s Gabriel Dias Juliani and Francisco Pinochet plus Northeastern State’s Carter Adams and Carl Murch filled out the 12-man team.
The Tigers secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championships. They’ll learn their opponent at 6:00 p.m. Monday during the NCAA Selection Show. The Tigers entered the week as the top seed in Super Region while the Hillcats checked in at No. 3 and Northeastern State held the No. 10 position.
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