Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's soccer team secured a place in the Sweet 16 after a hard-fought victory against Hope College. The match, held at Simpson Field, extended into double overtime before freshman Tate McDermott scored the decisive goal in the 106th minute. This victory marks UW-Eau Claire's second consecutive regional championship.

With time running out and a penalty shootout looming, Noah Malcook created an opportunity by crossing into the box. Tobias Volkmann's header hit the post, allowing McDermott to score with a follow-up header. "We knew if we could isolate Noah wide, he could do something one-vs.-one," McDermott stated.

The Blugolds dominated with a 12-4 shot advantage but struggled to break through Hope's defense for over 100 minutes. Defensively, they limited Hope to just two shots on target. "We were pushing...and then we did a good job to finally get on the end of one," McDermott added.

This win extends UW-Eau Claire's streak of shutouts to five matches, with their last conceded goal on October 30. Goalkeeper Spencer Banks credited the team's defensive effort: "It's all 11 guys that are out there fighting for it."

The team will compete in the sectional semifinals next weekend as part of their ongoing NCAA Tournament campaign. They previously reached this stage last year but were defeated by St. Olaf. Reflecting on the achievement, McDermott said, "This is kind of why you come to Eau Claire...this program is capable of doing that year-in, year-out."

Dates and locations for the upcoming matches will be announced soon.