Titans Claim WIAC Title With Shut Out Of Warhawks
UW-Oshkosh captured its second WIAC men's soccer title by defeating UW-Whitewater, 1-0, in the championship match of the league's postseason tournament held Friday (Nov. 7) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh, which previously won the WIAC title in 2010, will now wait to see if its season continues as a participant in the NCAA Division III Championship. Invitations to the 61-team tournament will be announced at 12:30 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 10) during a selection show televised on NCAA.com. UW-Oshkosh lost to Hope College (Mich.) in the first round of last year's NCAA Division III Championship.
Nick Gonzales scored the Titans' winning goal against the Warhawks in the 68th minute (67:32) of play. Michael Dugan set up Gonzales' 15-yard kick with a perfectly executed pass to the center of the field. It was the third goal of the season for Gonzales, who left the match shortly after his score due to an injury.
First-half action went scoreless as goalkeepers Alex Buchman of UW-Whitewater and Sam Gabrilska of UW-Oshkosh saved three and two shots, respectively. The Warhawks finished the opening period with five shots and UW-Oshkosh four.
With a slight wind at its back, UW-Oshkosh controlled the second half by totaling nine of the period's 11 shots. The Titans had four of their shots saved by Buchman, while the Warhawks had two of their attempts stopped by Gabrilska, including the last one on a kick by Kody Mjelde with three minutes remaining.
UW-Oshkosh earned seven of the game's 10 corner kick opportunities, including all five in the second half.
Gonzales led all players with four shots. The Titans also received three shots from Jacob Hernandez. Sam Kuchenreuther paced UW-Whitewater with three shots.
The Warhawks were forced to play the final eight minutes of the contest with just 10 men after a second yellow card was issued to Justin Stanko.
UW-Oshkosh's shutout was its 12th of the season. It was the sixth shutout of the season for Gabrilska, who entered the contest ranked 19th in the NCAA Division III with a 0.52 goals against average. The Titans (14-5-2) have now gone 7-0-1 in their last eight contests.
UW-Whitewater (13-4-4) was shut out for the first time since its season-opening match on Aug. 29. The loss also snapped the Warhawks' 12-match unbeaten streak (9-0-3 record).
Friday's game was the second between the teams in less than a week. Last Saturday (Nov. 1) in Whitewater, the squads closed their regular season by playing to a 1-1 tie.