OMAHA, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's soccer team remained the only champion the North Star Athletic Association has known after recording a 2-1 victory over Waldorf University on Sunday afternoon at Collin Field in the tournament championship game.
The Bruins improve their overall record to 12-6-2 and will await word on whether they receive a bid to the NAIA National Tournament. If BU is ranked in the Top 25 of the Coaches' Poll they'll receive an automatic bid but could still earn one of the at-large bids if they aren't when bids are announced a week from Monday.
It was the fourth-straight season that Bellevue has won a conference tournament championship – twice in the MCAC and the last two years in the NSAA – and ninth overall.
The first half was played almost exclusively in the midfield with scoring chances difficult to come by. As such, each team had just three shots in the opening 45 minutes. Waldorf had more dangerous chances with all three of their shots finding their way on goal and taking all three of the half's corner kicks.
Bellevue struck first in the second half with a 56th minute goal from Edgar Guzman. A 50-50 ball came free to Guzman who was charging hard at goal who toed a ball past the keeper who had come off his line. The goal was Guzman's sixth of the season.
The Bruins didn't wait long to push their lead to 2-0. A foul just outside the box allowed Scott Robson to take a free kick that he bent around the wall and into the net for his fourth goal of the year in the 58th minute.
Waldorf cut into the Bruin lead in the 60th minute with a goal from Christian Alvarez. Following a BU foul just outside the 18-yard box, Alvarez took the free kick and beat a screened Bellevue keeper to make it 2-1.
Ben Martin made three saves in goal for the Bruins. The Warriors out-shot BU 11-7 on the game and owned a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal.
