#2 Rio Grande edged by #1 Hastings in NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Game
#2 Rio Grande edged by #1 Hastings in NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Game
By Rio Grande Sports Information
DELRAY Beach, Fla. - So close and yet so far.
The University of Rio Grande's bid to become the NAIA's first repeat men's soccer national champion in 15 years was denied in a 1-0 loss to Hastings (Neb.) College, Saturday night, in the title game of the 2016 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship at the Seacrest Soccer Complex.
The top-seeded and second-ranked Broncos finished 24-0-1 with the win and became the first unbeaten national champion since Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College in 2011.
It was also the school's second all-time men's soccer title - the first came in 2010 - and its second championship of the day. Hastings also won the NAIA volleyball crown on Saturday.
Rio Grande, which was seeded second in the tourney and ranked third in the final regular season poll, had a 16-game non-losing streak snapped with the loss and finished 21-2-2.
The RedStorm, which was making its fourth all-time appearance in the title game, also finished as the national runner-up in 2008.
Rio enjoyed an 11-7 edge in total shots and a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal, but failed to find the back of the net for the second straight day.
The RedStorm's best scoring opportunity of the night came in the 74th minute, but senior Jeremy de Hoog's (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) would-be, game-tying free kick from 35 yards out sailed just over the crossbar.
Hastings netted the game's lone marker at 56:33 when Eric Birghitti fed a ball ahead from the middle of the field to Lucas Venegas, who pushed a shot past Rio sophomore net-minder Ben Martinez (Montpellier, France).
Martinez finished with one save in the loss for the RedStorm, while Joe White stopped four shots in goal for the Broncos. Both were named to the All-Tournament team.
Rio Grande was also represented on the all-tourney team by senior forward Pau Delgado Rodriguez (Barcelona, Spain) and junior defender Jorge Guinovart (Barcelona, Spain).
Guinovart was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tourney.