No. 19 Men’s Soccer advances to NAIA quarterfinals over No. 6 Mobile in penalty kicks

WICHITA, Kan. (November 27, 2023) – The No. 19 Milligan University men's soccer team advanced past No. 6 Mobile by a 4-2 margin in a penalty kick shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw at NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Round of 16 at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex on Monday afternoon.

The Buffs' unbeaten streak grows to 19-straight games as Milligan moves to 17-2-4 on the year while Mobile, the 2021 and 2022 NAIA national runner-up, ends its year at 15-2-3.

Freshman goalkeeper Adria Alles made a pair of saves as Simen Haraldstad, James Bakou, Elies Simo and Kai Slinn each converted their shots in the shootout. Alles saved Mobile's first attempt and clinched the match with a save on the Rams' fourth try. Alles finished with eight saves as the Buffs won despite being outshot 21-5 (9-3 SOG) on the day.

After 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, Santiago Corral scored an unassisted goal in the 81st minute. After a counterattacking sequence, Corral found himself one-on-one with a Mobile center back, juked the defender and fired a shot into the bottom-left corner to give the Buffs a 1-0 lead.

The Rams responded with an equalizer less than a minute later as Mobile's Zacharia Hasler volleyed a long-range shot off the right post and over the goal line to tie the game at one.

Asa Kai Blake stepped into a shot beyond the 18-yard box but had it blocked in the 88th and Mobile had an attempt roll wide to the left in the 89th. The Buffs had a long throw-in to the penalty area in the closing seconds of regulation but could not put a header on target as the game went into overtime.

Bakou made a critical tackle in a one-on-one situation in the 95th minute and the Rams had a shot fly high in the next minute. Alles made a save at the right post in the 97th and Bakou shielded Mobile from a rebound opportunity. The score stayed deadlocked at one as the game went into a second overtime.

Corral and Hayden Grubb executed a give-and-go to put the ball ahead to Corral in the box in the 101st but Corral could not collect the ball to put a shot on frame. Mobile had a shot blocked in the 105th and another missed high a minute later.

Mobile earned a corner kick in the final 15 seconds but could not square up a last-second shot. The Buffs went on to prevail in PKs.

Neither team found the back of the net in the first half as the Buffs notched their 13th-straight half without conceding a goal.

Alles made four saves in the opening period. He snatched a well-struck shot out of the air just beneath the crossbar in the 17th minute and tracked a header off a free kick in the 25th.

The Buffs earned a pair of corner kicks and notched one shot on goal in the first half. Corral had a header on frame saved in the ninth minute.

Inaki Moreno found Corral on a corner kick in the 48th minute but Corral's header sailed just above the crossbar.

Moreno served a free kick into the box in the 49th that rattled around inside the penalty area but no Buffs were able to put a shot on frame. On Mobile's ensuing counterattack, Alless had to charge off his line to challenge the attacking Ram and deflected the ball with his fingertips out of bounds.

Alles made back-to-back close-quarter saves during an extended sequence following a free kick in the 62nd minute. He knocked away a looping attempt from the right post toward the top-left corner of the goal and stopped the follow-up attempt at the left post.

Alles made a reaction save on a volley off a looping cross to the left post in the 80th minute.

The Buffs advance to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Quarterfinals. Milligan squares off with (RV) Bellevue on Thursday at 11:00 a.m.