The NKU faithful cheer as Ryan Grothaus is dogpiled by his teammates after scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute against Missouri S&T.
Box score
WILDER, Ky. –
Ryan Grothaus scored a goal with 33 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team a 3-2 victory against Missouri S&T in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament on Sunday.
The goal capped a furious 10-minute rally for NKU, which trailed 2-1 going into the 80th minute.
Braden Bishop tied the contest at 2-all by converting a penalty kick at the 80:16 mark, setting the stage for Grothaus' heroics.
Grothaus netted the winning score by finishing off a shot that was set up by passes from Bishop and
Paul Andrews. Grothaus sent the shot past Missouri S&T goalie Pat McNamee, and NKU defeated the Miners by a one-goal margin for the second straight year in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament.
A year ago,
Steven Beattie gave NKU a 1-0 win over Missouri S&T in the GLVC Tournament by netting a goal with 3:45 remaining in regulation.
Beattie scored his 19th goal of the season Sunday as NKU improved to 15-4-1 and advanced to the GLVC Tournament semifinals. The Norse held a 1-0 lead in the second half, but Missouri S&T struck for goals in the 57th and 73rd minutes to gain a 2-1 advantage.
Missouri S&T, the No. 7 seed in the GLVC Tournament, finished with a 7-7-1 record. Earlier this season, NKU posted a 3-1 win against the Miners in Waynesville, Mo.
NKU will meet No. 3 seed Lewis in the GLVC Tournament semifinals next Friday in Springfield, Mo. Lewis defeated NKU during the regular season, 1-0, at Romeoville, Ill.
Drury is the top seed and faces Bellarmine in the other semifinal contest. Drury defeated Missouri-St. Louis in overtime, 1-0, on Sunday. The championship game is set for next Sunday.
