FORT WAYNE, Ind.- The Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University men's soccer team defeated Indiana Tech 3-0 in the Championship game of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament this afternoon. This will be the team's first appearance in the NAIA Tournament.
In the 7th minute of the first half, Nico Rodriguez-Bermejo (JR/Madrid, Spain) shot to the left side of the net to score the first goal of the game after receiving an assist from Bryce Nicholson (SO/Jenison, Mich.) to give Lawrence Tech (14-6-1, 8-3) the 1-0 lead. This was Rodriguez-Bermejo's fourth goal and Nicholson's third assist of the season. In the 12th minute, Malte Dennert of Indiana Tech (15-5-1, 9-1-1) searched for the equalizer but was saved by Jewett. The Blue Devils looked for the second goal of the match to extend their advantage and had two shots and one corner kick in the 30 minutes that followed. Ryan Resendes (SO/Windsor, Ontario, Canada) scored his sixth goal of the season two minutes before the end of the first half to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead. Chris Serwatka (SR/Troy, Mich.) assisted Resendes.
The third goal of the contest arrived in the 57th goal when Michael Avila (JR/Toronto, Ontario, Canada) sent the ball to the back of the net off a rebound of a shot by Alvaro Garcia (JR/Mallorca, Spain) that hit the post. Avila's fifth goal of the season gave LTU the 3-0 lead. The Blue Devil defense line played a very strong game, as they did not let the Warriors have any shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half. In the 67th minute, the Warriors were close to shortening the scoreboard with a penalty kick opportunity. However, goalkeeper Max Jewett (JR/Sterling Heights, Mich.) saved both, the penalty kick and the rebound afterwards to keep a clean sheet. Jewett recorded six saves to give Lawrence Tech its ninth shutout of the season.
The Blue Devils outshot the Warriors 15-12, seven of which were in the first half and eight in the second. The Blue Devils also led the corner kicks 5-3.
The Athletics Department encourages family, students, and staff to join us in East Housing Theatre at 1 p.m. on November 12 to watch the Selection Show in which Lawrence Tech's NAIA Tournament first-round opponent will be revealed.
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