Simpson blanks Nebraska Wesleyan, earns No. 2 seed in A-R-C Tournament

INDIANOLA, Iowa — The Simpson College men's soccer team used goals from four different players to blank Nebraska Wesleyan 4-0 on Senior Night.

The win, along with a 1-1 tie between Wartburg and Luther on Tuesday night, propels Simpson to the No. 2 seed in the American Rivers Conference Tournament, the highest postseason seeding the Storm have earned since the 2001 season.

"We enter the A-R-C tournament as the No. 2-seed. That's no small feat in this conference," said Head Coach Rick Isaacson. "Our guys know what's at stake. We are excited to qualify for postseason play and look forward to hosting a semifinal match versus the winner of Loras and Nebraska Wesleyan."

Senior Enrique Idehen scored the Storm's first goal in the 22nd minute with the help of Alan Imamovic. Later in the 36th minute, Jordy Triana-Vasquez was fouled in the box and gave Simpson a 2-0 advantage with a successful penalty kick attempt.

Seth Bowman, one of the team's other seniors who was recognized in between games, picked the perfect night to score his first goal of the season as the Shawnee, Kan. native found the back of the net early in the second half to highlight his senior day celebration. Junior Peter Gaspari later put the icing on the cake for the Storm with a laser to the far corner of the net for his first score this year.

"It was an eventful senior night in Buxton Stadium tonight," expressed Isaacson. "What a game. I want to take a moment to thank our three seniors for their commitment and loyalty to our soccer program. All three of these guys chose to return for a fifth season. Seth Bowman, Ian Dean, & Enrique Idehen have grown into tremendous leaders over the past five years. They epitomize what it means to be a Simpson soccer player, and I'm super glad we sent them out with a big win on senior night tonight."

The Storm conclude the regular season with a 7-6-2 overall mark and 5-2-1 record against A-R-C opponents. Simpson closed the conference slate on a high note, picking up three-straight shutouts to end the regular season two spots ahead of where the Storm were predicted to finish in the preseason poll.

"It has been a challenging fall season. We lost three games from our schedule to factors outside of our control," said Isaacson. "Our team endured injuries to several key players that represent the core of our team. I'm proud of how this group responded to the adversity they faced throughout the regular season."

After earning the No. 2 seed in the postseason, the Storm will have a full week to prepare for their semifinal match thanks to a first-round bye. No. 3-seed Loras will host No. 6-seed Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday with the winner advancing on to face the Storm on Nov. 3 inside Buxton Stadium.