HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The sixth-seeded University of West Alabama men's soccer team continued its postseason run in impressive fashion Thursday night, shutting out second-seeded and No. 14 nationally ranked Auburn-Montgomery, 2-0, in the Gulf South Conference Tournament semifinals at John Hunt Park.
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 8-6-4 overall and advance to the GSC Championship match, where they will face the top-seeded and No. 7 nationally ranked Trevecca Nazarene Trojans. The championship is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at 12 p.m. in Huntsville, Alabama.
West Alabama struck first in the 14th minute, as Florian Laot found the back of the net at 13:54 to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage. David Nunez provided the assist, sending a cross into the box that Laot flicked past the goalkeeper from eight yards out.
The Tigers carried that advantage into halftime, holding AUM scoreless through the opening 45 minutes. The Warhawks looked to respond after the break, but West Alabama's defensive effort kept the nationally ranked opponent off the scoreboard.
AUM finished with 15 shots compared to West Alabama's 10, but the Tigers limited the Warhawks to just four shots on goal. Goalkeeper Dan Erez and the UWA defense combined for four saves to secure the clean sheet.
West Alabama added an insurance goal late in the second half. In the 85th minute, Aidan Riley finished a cross from Luke Jovanovich at the far post, extending the Tigers' lead to 2-0 at 84:36 and putting the semifinal result out of reach.
The Tigers finished with five shots on goal, three corner kicks and four saves. AUM recorded five corners and three saves, but could not find a breakthrough against the West Alabama defense.
The shutout marks another important postseason result for the sixth-seeded Tigers, who have now defeated both the third-seeded Alabama-Huntsville Chargers and second-seeded Warhawks to reach the conference championship.
West Alabama now turns its attention to the GSC Championship, where the Tigers will face the top-seeded and No. 7 nationally ranked Trevecca Nazarene Trojans on Saturday, November 7, at 12 p.m. in Huntsville, Alabama.
The matchup will be a rematch of the regular-season finale between the two programs, with a GSC Championship title on the line.
