Game Time... Dordt University is set to host Morningside for a quarterfinal match in the 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Men's Soccer Postseason tournament on Thursday, Nov.3. Game time at the Defenders Soccer Complex is set for 5pm.
Dordt, the No.3 seed in the eight-team tournament field, finished the regular season in third place in the GPAC with a 6-1-4 record, 8-3-6 overall. Morningside, the No.6 seed, went 3-2-6 in conference play, 4-7-7 overall.
GPAC Tournament Schedule / Pairings... The winner of the Dordt / Morningside quarterfinal match will advance to play in the GPAC semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 8 against the winner of the No.7 Briar Cliff at No.2 Concordia match. Thursday's quarterfinal matches in the top half of the bracket has No.8 Mount Marty at No.1 seed Hastings with the winner to play No.5 Midland vs No.4 Northwestern.
Tuesday's semifinal winners will play for the 2022 GPAC Championship on Friday, Nov. 11 at the higher seed.
2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Postseason Tournament
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Quarterfinal Round
#8 Mount Marty at #1 Hastings, 3:30pm (game time changed to 3:30pm on 11/2/22)
#5 Midland at #4 Northwestern, 7pm
#6 Morningside at #3 Dordt, 5pm
#7 Briar Cliff at #2 Concordia, 4pm (game time changed to 4pm on 11/2/22)
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Semifinal Round- High Seeds Host
#8/#1 winner vs. #5/#4 winner, high seed hosts, time TBA
#6/#3 winner vs. #7/#2 winner, high seed hosts, time TBA
Friday, November 11, 2022
GPAC Postseason Championship
Semifinal winners at highest seed remaining, time TBA
At Stake... The winner of the GPAC tournament will advance to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round as the league's second automatic representative. Hastings, the No.1 seed, has already secured the GPAC's first bid into the NAIA Championship by winning the regular season title. If Hastings wins the conference tournament as well, the GPAC runner-up (Concordia) will earn the second bid into the NAIA Championship.
- The NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship - Opening Round will be played at different host sites around the country on Nov.17-19. The 10 winners from the opening round brackets will advance to play at the championship final site - Decatur, Alabama - from Nov.29 - Dec.5.
GPAC Tournament History...This will be the first conference tournament appearance for the Defenders since 2017 and their 15th overall postseason appearance since the GPAC tournament began in 2000. Dordt holds a 4-14 overall record in the conference tournament and is 4-10 in the quarterfinal / first round. The Defenders have reached the semifinal four times, most recently in 2014, the same year of their last postseason win.
Morningside has qualified for seven consecutive GPAC tournaments, qualifying for the postseason in every year since 2015. The Mustangs, who joined the GPAC in 2003, have missed the postseason tournament just twice (2011 and 2014), earning a spot in the conference tournament in 17 of their 19 seasons. They hold an 11-19 record in the conference tournament have reached the championship match twice, going 0-2 in the title contests (2018, 2020).
Dordt is 0-1 all-time against Morningside in the conference tournament, losing 1-0 in the GPAC quarterfinals in 2012. They also played each other in the regional tournament in 2004 with the Defenders falling 1-0.
All-Time... Dordt is 8-18-1 all-time against Morningside heading into Thursday's quarterfinal, dating back to the 1978 season. The Defenders have not defeated the Mustangs since a 4-0 victory in 2016, going 0-5-1 in their last six matches against them. Earlier this season, the teams played to a 3-3 tie, the only draw in the all-time series.
- the series, by the numbers...
- Dordt is 6-10-1 in matches played in Sioux Center against Morningside
- the Defenders won the first two matches played in the rivalry (1978-79); the teams did not play again until 2001 and have played at least once per season every since
- Dordt and Morningside have played two postseason matches, both won by Morningside
- Dordt has outscored the Mustangs 71-64
- the Defenders have been shutout six times and have shut out Morningside five times
Earlier This Season...Morningside scored a goal in the final seconds to come back and tie Dordt 3-3 in a regular season match played in Sioux Center on Oct. 8. The Mustangs went ahead 1-0 with a first half goal scored by Johannes Lang during the 31st minute. Down 1-0 at the break, Dordt came back to scored two goals early in the second half for a 2-1 advantage.
Quintin Olson scored the first Defender goal during the 52nd minute off an assist by Hansen, who later scored his team's second goal at the 60th minute.
Morningside rallied and tied the game at 2-2 during the 74th minute on a goal from Gero Zarbo. Later, five under five minutes left, Hansen scored again for the Defenders to put his team in front 3-2. The Mustangs had one final answer as Zarbo broke free in the final seconds and scored the equalizer.
Brandon Hansen made three saves for Dordt; Bjarne Huth accounted for one save in net for Morningside.
Scouting Reports...
Morningside: 3-2-6 (6th), 4-7-7 overall; 1-2-2 over its last five games
- last five games played
- tied Briar Cliff 3-3
- lost to Midland 3-0
- def. Mount Marty 3-2
- lost to Iowa Wesleyan 1-0
- tied Dakota Wesleyan 1-1
- Head Coach: Tom Maxon (22nd year)
- 194-184-18 all-time record
- also coaches the women's team
- 4x GPAC Coach of the Year, most recent in 2019-20
- 3x NAIA Qualifier
- picked 3rd of 12 teams in the GPAC preseason poll
- last year: 8-3-1 (4th), 12-7 overall
- lost to Northwestern in the GPAC semifinals
- return five starters, 11 players
- four players are back who have earned all-conference honors
- by the numbers (based on 2022 stats):
- 1.4 goals / match (9th in GPAC) - 25 scored on season
- 1.8 goals given up / match (8th) - 33 given up
- 10 different players have scored at least one goal this season
- top players: (bold denotes returning starter)
- Gero Zarbo - 6 goals (T8th) (GPAC Off. Player of the Week on Sept.20)
- Robin Thomala - 5 goals, 1 assist
- Jona Fischer (2x all-conf) - 3 goals, 1 assist
- Jonas Markfoged - 2 goals, 2 assists
- Max Sickenberger - 2 goals, 2 assists
- Bjarne Huth (2x all-conf; 2020 GPAC Def. Player of Year) - 44 saves (T6th), 1.9 / match
Defender Notes:
- 2022 results: 6-1-4 (3rd); 8-3-6
- last five games:
- tied Northwestern 0-0
- def. Presentation 4-0
- def. Jamestown 4-1
- def. Doane 3-1
- lost to No.22 Hastings 2-1
- clinched 1st postseason berth since 2017
- secured 1st home playoff game since 2014
- 2nd longest unbeaten streak in program history - 12 (15 in 1991)
- 32 goals scored is the most since 2018
- 6 shutouts is tied for most since 2011
- Head Coach: Ryan Gresse - 4th year
- Blake Hansen and Mitchell Dryden were named GPAC Players of the Week - Sept. 27
- Hansen also earned GPAC Player of the Week honors - Oct.25
- by the numbers:
- 32 goals scored (1.9 / match) - 5th in GPAC
- 19 goals given up (1.1 / match) - 4th in GPAC
- 6 shutouts (5th)
- 12 players have scored at least 1 goal, 11 players have at least 1 assist
- stat leaders:
