[Men's Soccer] Improbable comeback clinches national tournament berth

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Four shots in 10 minutes is pretty good. Four shots on goal in 10 minutes is even better. But four goals in 10 minutes? Nearly unheard of. But Mount Mercy did it today, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Ashford, 4-3, in the championship game of the 2011 Midwest Collegiate Conference Men's Soccer Tournament at Lower Kingston Field.

The third-seeded Saints (14-5-1) dominated the game's first 47 minutes, getting first-half goals by Sam Etim and Michael Handley and another score just two minutes into the second period by Javier Ramirez. Ashford goalkeeper Danny James stopped Mount Mercy's three shots on goal in the opening half and it looked like it just wasn't meant to be for the Mustangs.

But finally, junior forward Enrique Cortina converted a penalty kick in the 74th minute that got the top-seeded Mustangs (12-5-3) on the board. In the 75th minute, sophomore forward Josip Druzijanic's goal made things interesting, and in the 80th minute, sophomore midfielder Juan Maffey scored out of a corner kick, evening the match against a stunned Ashford squad.

But the Mustangs weren't done. Junior midfielder Vladimir Virovkic took a ball from freshman defender Zach Smith and placed it in the top left corner of the goal in the 84th minute, completing a comeback for the ages by Mount Mercy. The reeling Saints tried desperately to extend the match, but the Mustang defense held for the final six minutes to clinch the first national tournament berth in school history.

Mount Mercy takes a 10-game unbeaten streak into the 53rd Annual NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship. The Mustangs haven't lost since dropping a 5-1 decision at Ashford on Sept. 24. Mount Mercy is 9-0-1, including a 1-1 tie with Viterbo (Wis.) in Sunday's MCC semifinal. The Mustangs won the shootout, 4-2, to advance to today's championship game. The complete, 32-team field for the national tournament, along with opening round matchups, will be released on Sunday by the NAIA.