Men's soccer wins WAC title and heads to first-round NCAA Tournament

No. 19 Seattle University men’s soccer won the 2019 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament, advancing past Utah Valley, 2-1 in penalty kicks, on Sunday afternoon. Akili Kasim won WAC Tournament MVP after making three saves in penalties to put the Redhawks over the top at Cadet Soccer Stadium at the Air Force Academy.

SU claims its fourth WAC Tournament Championship and will make its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2013. They will play at Loyola Marymount on Thursday in the first round.

The Redhawks have previously won the WAC Tournament in 2013, 2015, and 2017, earning the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Seattle U also stretched its unbeaten streak to 14 matches, as it posted a 11-0-2 mark against WAC foes in 2019. The Redhawks’ unbeaten string is good for the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind only Missouri State (18).

In penalty kicks, UVU scored on its first try. James Morris followed with a goal to level the action. The Wolverines' next shot went wide and Hal Uderitz converted from the spot for a 2-1 margin. Kasim did the rest, diving to turn away the final three UVU shots to lift the Redhawks to the title.

On Sunday, Kasim earned WAC Tournament MVP, while Julian Avila-Good, Nkosi Burgess, and Declan McGlynn were chosen WAC All-Tournament.

Utah Valley scored first on Sunday, finding a goal at the 34-minute mark. SU worked to tie and Avila-Good leveled the match in the 43^rd minute. The teams played to a stalemate in the second half and through two overtime sessions.

The 2019 NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific on NCAA.com. The first round begins on Thursday, Nov. 21. Visit GoSeattleU.com for more details on the Redhawks’ appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The decision is the first WAC final to go to penalty kicks since 2015, when the Redhawks advanced past UVU, 5-4.