Men's soccer beats Dubuque, will host tournament game Saturday

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Tyler Neumann scored two goals and the Simpson men's soccer team beat Dubuque 3-0 on Tuesday, earning the No. 4 seed in the Iowa Conference Tournament and the right to host Dubuque again on Saturday.

Both teams knew they would be playing each other on Saturday, the only question was where the game would be held.

"While both teams desperately wanted the win, neither coach was willing to show his full hand," head coach Rick Isaacson said. "We expect another hard-fought battle when we square off again on Saturday."

Neumann took advantage of a costly mistake by Dubuque in the eighth minute for his first goal and added an insurance score in the 68th minute for the Storm (11-6-2, 4-3 Iowa Conference), who posted back-to-back, 10-win seasons for the first time since 2002-03.

Cory Winkler put three shots on goal for the Spartans (6-10-1, 3-4), who entered the game tied with Simpson for fourth place in the conference but fell to the No. 5 seed with the loss.

"I thought our players handled the physicality of the game well," Isaacson said. "They kept their composure and absorbed Dubuque's pressure late in the game. It took a 90-minute effort, but we got the result we were looking for."

As the game moved along, it looked as though Neumann's first goal would be the only score of the game. Due to miscommunication on the back line, a Spartan defender attempted to play a ball back to goalkeeper Jose Resendiz, but Resendiz went the opposite direction. Neumann tapped the ball into the open net on a play that would have otherwise resulted in an own goal for Dubuque.

Neumann earned his second goal when he played a cross from Cody Jacobson. His first shot was punched away by Resendiz, but he gathered the rebound and buried his second offering.

Jacobson got his chance less than four minutes later, drawing a foul in the penalty box. He snuck the ball under the crossbar on the penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season.

Saturday's start time is yet to be determined. Simpson also hosts Dubuque in football on Saturday, a 4 p.m. kickoff.