BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- The Bellevue University men's soccer team upset fourth-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University 1-0 in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship match Saturday afternoon.
Bellevue advances to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at campus sites. The selections and pairings will be announced on Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 9-8-0 while Oklahoma Wesleyan dropped to 17-3-0 overall.
Manuel Lira scored the lone goal of the contest in the 27th minute of action on a pass from Leigh Veidman.
Ben Martin earned the win in goal for the Bruins and recorded eight saves. Luka Stojanovic stopped four shots in the loss for OWU.
The Eagles outshot BU, 15-7, and also held a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. Lira paced BU with four shots.
The Bruins, who snapped the Eagles' six-match winning streak, have now defeated two opponents ranked in the top five this year. BU posted a 3-1 victory at top-ranked Hastings College on Sept. 25.
BU has won six MCAC Tournament Championships in program history.
Game Scoring
Bellevue..........................1-0--1
Oklahoma Wesleyan...0-0--0
BU, M. Lira (L. Veidman), 26:38
