UNIVERSITY CITY, Mich. – Sixth seeded Drury stunned third seeded Saginaw Valley State with a 2-1 win the first round of the NCAA-II national championship tournament on Friday in University City, Michigan.
The Panthers (12-4-3) advance to round two on Sunday where they will play second seeded Tiffin University (14-4-2) at noon (CST) in University City, Michigan.
After a scoreless first half that saw Drury get outshot 4-0, the Panthers struck for a pair of goals four minutes apart early in the second half. Vince Sasso scored his first of the season on an assist from Dean McConnell that got Drury on the board. Four minutes later, defender David Cross scored his eighth goal of the year and gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute.
Saginaw Valley State (15-5-1), ranked 12th nationally and playing on their home field, got within a goal of the lead when Matt Wilson scored his 15th goal of the year in the 67th minute on a header that deflected off the crossbar.
Drury then had to hang on. The Cardinals put up seven shots and had five corner kicks in the last 15 minutes of regulation. Panthers goalkeeper Nic Helin made three of his six saves in the game during the final eight minutes of play to preserve the lead.
The win marks the third time in program history the Drury has advanced to the second round of the national tournament. The Panthers won opening round tournament games in 2014 and 2009. A win Sunday would give Drury their first ever trip to the tournament’s third round.
