Title in Texas!

Seattle University men’s soccer won 1-0 at Incarnate Word Nov. 1, clinching the 2019 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) regular-season title. The team improved its unbeaten streak to 10 matches and secured a seventh straight season with at least 11 victories.

Seattle U (11-3-3, 8-0-1 WAC) claimed its third WAC regular-season crown with the win. It also won the title in 2013 and 2015. The Redhawks will have the top seed and earn a first-round bye in the WAC Tournament, hosted by Air Force, Nov. 13-17. They are scheduled to play the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Friday at 2 pm Pacific.

“Nkosi (Burgess) and Alex (Acton-Petronotis) were terrific today,” says Coach Pete Fewing. “Hal and Julian (Avila-Good) covered a ton of ground for us as well.”

In the first half, Seattle U worked to settle in against the UIW defense. It earned several good chances, but the Cardinals hung in to keep the match scoreless. The Redhawks outshot the Cardinals 9-5 in the first half, but neither side found a goal in the first 45 minutes of action. 

The second half saw Seattle U take a more aggressive approach, pressuring the UIW backline. The team put together strong combinations and put itself in position to score and in the 63^rd minute, Uderitz cashed in. Kees Westra possessed on the offensive left, but ran into several Cardinal defenders. The ball was cleared out of the penalty box on an arc and Hal Uderitz came sprinting in to volley in a line shot from 30 yards out to make it 1-0.

The Redhawks maintained control as the clock ran down, keeping the ball in their offensive half.

On the day, the Redhawks held a 17-5 advantage in shots, including an 8-0 margin in the second half. Akili Kasim made one save to notch his eighth shutout of the year.