FULTON, Mo. -- In a hotly-contested match with little but hosting rights for the AMC Postseason Tournament on the line, the William Woods University men's soccer team was able to hold off a late charge from Park University and earn a 3-2 win on Monday night.
Sebastian Burich (Santiago, Chile) had the eventual game-winner for the Owls in the 22nd minute.
The Owls got things off to an early start, earning a free kick just outside the penalty box.
Paulo Conelian (Sao Paulo, Brazil) curled the ball up and over the wall, finding the near post for a 1-0 WWU lead. The ninth-minute strike was the first collegiate goal for the sophomore.
William Woods needed just over two minutes to double its lead, as
Joao Paulo Parra (Sao Paulo, Brazil) picked up his first of two assists on the night in the 11th minute. Parra fought through a pair of Pirate defenders and as he pushed the ball to his left, he was tripped up by a sliding Reece Harris. The ball found its way to the foot of
Marcelo Carreiro (Curtiba, Brazil) who hammered the ball into the empty net for the 2-0 lead.
Parra found himself in on Harris and one other Park defender in the 22nd minute, and the Owls would punish the visitors. Parra dribbled to the endline, eventually cutting the ball back to a trailing Burich. Burich took a set up touch to his right and slotted the ball low and into the net.
Even with a 3-0 lead, WWU didn't let up, as Burich and Conelian each had chances turned away by Harris within the first 10 minutes of the second stanza.
Park was able to pull one goal back in the 58th minute and added a second off a free kick in the 63rd minute. After a foul deep in the attacking third, Carlos Trombini served up a curling inswinger. Richard Osterloh was able to get just enough of a head on the ball to tuck it inside the far post.
As the match progressed, the play became a bit chippier, but William Woods was able to hold on for the 3-2 win and earn the fourth seed in the 2012 AMC Postseason Tournament. The Owls finish the regular season with a 4-3-1 mark in the AMC and a 10-7-1 mark overall. Park falls to 3-4-1 in league play and 6-9-1 overall.
The Owls will host the rematch between these teams in the first round of the AMC Postseason Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 3. Kickoff for the match is set for 1 p.m.
