Tough first half sinks Men’s Soccer in NAIA Opening Round against No. 21 Warner Pacific

MOBILE, Ala. (November 17, 2022) – Three first half goals by No. 21 Warner Pacific sunk the Milligan University men's soccer team in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round at The Jungle in Mobile. The second-seeded Knights defeated the No. 3 seed Buffs 3-1 on Thursday evening.

The Buffs conclude their season at 10-3-7 while Warner Pacific remains unbeaten at 19-0-3.

Despite outshooting Warner Pacific 13-6 on the evening, the Knights scored goals on their first two shot attempts and added a penalty kick late immediately after Milligan scored late in the first half.

Nearly four minutes in Greg Anderson ran onto a ball into the right side of the penalty area and nearly squared up a shot but had attempt interrupted by Knight's keeper. The ball trickled free and Anderson was not able to reach it for a potential early goal.

Warner Pacific struck first as a picture-perfect cross from 40 yards out found a streaking Knight behind the Milligan backline. The running header flew just inside the left post to give the No. 2 seed an early 1-0 edge.

The Knights added a counterattack tally in the 24th minute as Warner Pacific ran the ball up the left side and centered a pass and cashed in to take a 2-0 lead.

Anderson freed himself up for a left-footed shot near the top of the 18-yard box but Warner Pacific's keeper scrambled to the left post to make the save around 30 minutes into the half.

The Buffs struck back in the 41st minute as a Milligan goal kick went beyond midfield, was headed by Jett Carter, played diagonally by Inaki Moreno unto Asa Blake, who made a move to his left and fired a shot through the defender's leg, off the keeper into the lower-right corner of the net.

Warner Pacific quickly scored to regain a two-goal edge as a Knights' forward was tripped in the box, resulting in a penalty kick that was converted to give Warner Pacific a 3-1 lead heading into the half.

Milligan held a 5-3 edge in shots in the first half but the Knights scored in every attempt they recorded in the first 45 minutes.

Milligan goalie Ludvig Wille kept the Buffs within two as he made a save on a redirection of a free kick around the six-yard box in the 52nd minute of play. Minutes later, Luke Bennett found Anderson with his back to the goal at the six-yard box but his close-range attempt was blocked.

With just under 23 minutes left Inaki Morano shook a defender and fired a left-angled shot from inside the penalty area that was just tipped wide of the goal. On the ensuing corner kick, Milligan aimed a shot at the lower left corner that was saved.

Warner Pacific had a clean look on a counterattack with eight minutes to go and Wille made another key stop. Soon after Blake nearly added a second goal after taking the ball from the Knights' backline but his attempt sailed high.

The Buffs had a corner kick and long throw-in in the final 10 minutes to avail. Wille and the Buffs' backline prevented a two-on-one scoring opportunity in the final three minutes of regulation.

Milligan was called for 15 fouls on the evening while Warner Pacific was whistled four times.

The Buffs won the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season title for the sixth time and made their third-straight appearance in the national tournament.