BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2023 Gulf South Conference Men’s Soccer Championship began on Sunday with quarterfinal action on campus at each of the top four seeds. Delta State upset top-seeded Mississippi College, 3-2, while West Florida corralled Alabama Huntsville, 4-1. Auburn Montgomery and West Alabama both advanced on a shootout, over Christian Brothers and West Alabama, respectively.
The four remaining teams will advance to the semifinals scheduled for Friday, Nov. 10 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. Fourth-seeded AUM and No. 8 Delta State will open action at 3 pm CT, while No. 3-seed West Florida and No. 7 Lee will follow at 6:00 pm CT.
All semifinal and championship round games will be streamed live through FloSports. For tickets, links to follow along or for more information, visit championship central.
No. 8 Delta State def. No. 1 Mississippi College, 3-2
In spite of being on the short end of a 13-4 margin in shots on goal, the Statesmen made the most of their chances, scoring three times to upend the top-seeded Choctaws while goalkeeper Daniel Santema recorded 11 saves.
Delta State controlled momentum early scoring twice in the opening half with goals from Santi Rossi (26’) and Malo Clement (33’). Mississippi College pulled even with a pair of goals from Max Buesch in the 69th and 73rd minute. The tie was short-lived however as Ryan Thistle tallied the go-ahead less a minute later.
No. 2 West Alabama tie No. 7 Lee, 0-0 (Lee adv. 4-2 PK)
The seventh-seeded Flames advanced past No. 2-seed West Alabama following a 4-2 result in shootout, after neither team was able to score 110 minutes of play. Lee dominated the shots category, 23-7, with a 9-2 advantage in shots on target during play.
In the shootout, the teams were tied 2-2 after two rounds. Then in the round three, Lee’s shooter was stopped but was provided a second attempt, which he converted, after UWA’s goalkeeper left early. Flames’ keeper Jakob Buhrkuhl then provided a big stop to give his team some breathing room. It was eventually decided in round four as UWA’s shooter failed to convert.
No. 3 West Florida def. No. 6 Alabama Huntsville, 4-1
The Argonauts surged in the second scoring three times punch their ticket to Friday’s semifinal round. West Florida’s Caue Novaes opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. Then in the 39th minute Michael Weston converted from the spot leveling the contest at 1-1 at the half.
In the second, Keegan Ancelin scored twice tallying goals in the 64th and 84th minute to make it 3-1, before Marcus Pereira added the advantage in the 87th.
No. 4 AUM tie No. 5 Christian Brothers, 1-1 (AUM adv. 5-3 PK)
The Warhawks survived and will advance to their three-straight semifinal, in a tight affair that was decided from the spot. The Buccaneers held a slim 6-5 advantage in shots on goal through 110 minutes of regulation and two extra time periods.
Christian Brothers worked quickly to tally the opening goal as Paul Bobai scored in the 13th minute. The CBU advantage lasted until the 47th minute when AUM’s Sean Keane leveled the scored. The Bucs outshot AUM in the extra periods 5-2, but were unable find the game-winner.
In the shootout, both teams converted their first two attempts. In the third round, AUM buried its opportunity was CBU was unable to convert, opening the door for the Warhawks who knocked it their next two to move onto the next round.