MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers advance to NAIA soccer semifinals with 2-0 win in Wichita
The MidAmerica Pioneers beat defending champion Bethel University of Mishawaka, Indiana 2-0 in Thursday’s elite eight quarterfinals of the 2023 NAIA men’s soccer championships at the Stryker Complex in Wichita.
Junior forward Rick Hovinga, from Groningen, Netherlands, scored both goals for MidAmerica Nazarene (15-4-4).
The first came in the 30th minute off an assist by French native Tom Chartier, the second in the 90th, this time assisted by Jony Munoz.
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The Pioneers of @mnusports pull their second straight #NAIAMSoccer upset, this time knocking off the reigning champs!#BattleForTheRedBanner #collegesoccer pic.twitter.com/xUxrPgqLIB— NAIA (@NAIA) December 1, 2023
The seasoned Pioneers, whose players hail from some 15 countries, took five first-half shots, four on target. The Pilots of Bethel (18-2-3) took two and put one on goal.
For the game, those figures stood 12 and six for MNU, 10 and four for Bethel.
MidAmerica Nazarene advances to play Oklahoma Wesleyan, a quarterfinal winner over Indiana Tech on penalty kicks, in the national semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday in Wichita. Saturday’s 1 p.m. semifinal features St. Thomas, from Miami Gardens, Florida, vs. Milligan of Tennessee.
The semifinal winners will meet for the national championship on Monday at 2 p.m. on the Stryker Complex field.
