CONWAY, AR- The Millsaps Majors' men's soccer team came out on the short end of a 3-1 SAA championship on Sunday, falling to the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels.
Millsaps, the regular season, SAA champions finish the regular season at 12-6-2 and squarely on the bubble for an at-large birth in the NCAA tournament.
The Petrels' Nick Williamson was the man of the match, scoring all three Oglethorpe goals. The Petrels got on the board first in the 28th minute after Williamson got a feed from Gustavo Martinez. The goal stemmed the tide of a heavy Majors' rush to start the game, having fired seven shots off in the opening quarter of the match.
Johnathan Huebbe made two key saves in the latter stages of the half to keep it 1-0. Huebbe stone walled Williamson and Justin Graves. It would be 1-0 heading into the half.
The Majors wasted no time getting on the board in the second half, scoring 90 seconds out of halftime. James Klugh got the goal on assists from Trey Fontaine and Nicolas Roth. However, the match was not tide for long. Taylor Hayes was whistled for a foul inside the Majors' 18 box, resulting in a penalty shot for Williamson and Oglethorpe. He didn't miss and it was 2-1 Oglethorpe less than two minutes later.
Oglethorpe would get insurance in the 54th minute when Williamson headed home his third and final goal of the match. The Majors continued the heavy pressure on Oglethorpe but Vaughn Moore made key stops down the stretch to keep the Majors at bay. Millsaps outshot 10-6 overall in the second half and 5-1 in shots on goal. They also enjoyed a 5-1 and 8-3 overall advantage in corner kicks.
The Majors place two on the all-tournament team as the SAA recognized the fine play of Nico Roth and Christopher Lawrence. Millsaps now awaits their fate tomorrow afternoon for the NCAA tournament. Regardless, this was one of the finest seasons in Millsaps' men's soccer history.