OMAHA, Neb. -- Behind goals from four different players, the top-seeded Bellevue University men's soccer team picked up a 4-0 victory over fourth-seeded Viterbo University on Friday afternoon in a North Star Athletic Association semi-final game played at Omaha South High School's Collin Field.
With the victory, BU improves to 11-5-2 on the season while Viterbo wraps up their year at 5-11-0.
Bellevue looked to have gotten on the board early but Daniel Coupland's 14th minute free kick was disallowed as the referee had ruled it an indirect foul. The Bruins, however, regrouped and scored a goal in 25th minute to grab a 1-0 lead. A second free kick from Coupland found the head of Rob Smith who directed to ball to the far post for his league-leading 16th goal of the season.
The Bruins took their 1-0 advantage into the locker room. They out-shot the V-Hawks 7-4 in the opening half although Viterbo put three of their shots on goal.
Bellevue doubled their advantage in the 67th minute when Daniel Coupland scored a penalty kick, his 11th goal of the year.
In the 74th minute, Edgar Guzman found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the year. After receiving a pass from Andres Blanco, Guzman chipped a shot over the keeper from just inside the 18-yard box.
The Bruins added an insurance tally in the 84th minute, courtesy of Blanco. Marlon Vega played a ball wide to Lamine Doumbia who sent in a cross that Blanco volleyed out of the air from just inside the 6-yard box for his seventh strike of the season.
Bellevue scored on all four of their shots on goal. Ben Martin made three saves to earn his third-straight – and fourth overall – shutout of the year.
In the match, Bellevue out-shot Viterbo 16-6 while shots on goal were even at four apiece.
The win propels the Bruins into the NSAA final for the second-straight season. Bellevue will attempt to defend their 2015 title on Sunday, Nov. 6 when they take on second-seeded Waldorf University at 3:30 p.m. at Collin Field. It will be the fifth year in a row that Bellevue has reached their conference final. They've won the title each of the last three years they've played in a conference championship.
