Storm beat Wartburg, advance to IIAC Semifinals

WAVERLY, Iowa – Rick Isaacson felt like his team let a win get away when the Simpson men's soccer team settled for a 2-2 tie against Wartburg during the regular season.

Simpson took advantage of its second chance when it mattered most.

Marcus Varnum scored the only goal of the game and fifth-seeded Simpson beat fourth-seeded Wartburg 1-0 in the first round of the Iowa Conference Tournament on Saturday.

"It was evident tonight that we learned from our first game against Wartburg," Isaacson said. "We made some adjustments, altered our strategy and I thought we did a tremendous job of executing our gameplan."

Isaacson and the Storm (13-7-1) advance to face top-seeded and No. 3 Loras (17-1-1) in the semifinals on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Dubuque.

Varnum's game-winner came at the 68:07 mark when Tyler Neumann assisted on Varnum's seventh goal of the season.

"I'm very proud of this team," Isaacson said. "I'm especially proud of our seniors. They've experienced a wide range of emotions during their four years; returning to the semifinals is a testament to their commitment and leadership."

Simpson built a 2-0 lead in the regular season matchup but conceded two, second half goals.

Goalkeeper Luke Aronow had a monster game between the posts, making 10 saves.

Cade Shatzer made three saves for the Knights (7-9-2), who saw their season come to an end.

The win is Simpson's first against Wartburg since 2002 and snaps an 11-game winless streak against the Knights. Simpson's 13 wins are the most since 2002 when the Storm went 15-5-2.