Cedarville Advances to G-MAC Final

Cedarville’s men’s soccer team defeated visiting Ohio Valley in the G-MAC tournament semifinal Thursday night in a defensive struggle, 2-0. The win advances the Jackets to the conference final to be held 1 p.m. Nov. 7 on the home field.

The scoring didn’t get underway until the 62nd minute, when junior forward Jon Brown took a long ball from junior defender Bradley Schluter and kicked it into the goal to put the Jackets up 1-0.

For the rest of the game, Cedarville’s defense held up against Ohio Valley’s offensive onslaught. The Scots had several chances to score, but they all came up short. In the 77th minute, it took a diving save by goalkeeper Paulo Pinto to preserve the lead, as he tipped a shot with his left hand just enough to prevent it from going in.

In the 87th minute, senior forward Connor Gilmour took advantage of a defensive miscue. His shot bounced off of the goalkeeper’s hands, and Gilmour collected it on the rebound and scored his 17th goal of the season to seal the win.

Gilmour, who was recently named the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, had a couple chances to get the team on the board in the first half. He had an open look in the fifth minute, but his kick sailed over the goal. Ten minutes later, he had another strike that Ohio Valley’s goalie was barely able to stop.

Cedarville (14-3-1) will face either Davis & Elkins or Alderson Broaddus 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, for the conference championship.

Jon Gallardo is a senior journalism major and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys creative writing, listening to Christmas music and playing basketball. He has been to two soccer games in his life.