Simpson advances 5-3 on penalty kicks

DECORAH, Iowa - The fifth-seeded Simpson men's soccer team needed more than the allotted 110 minutes, but advanced past fourth-seeded Luther on penalty kicks, 5-3 in the first round of the Iowa Conference Tournament Tuesday evening.

Senior goalkeeper Josh Youngman (Pella, Iowa/Pella) converted the final kick for Simpson (6-8-4), which advances to face No. 3 Loras in the semifinals Friday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Rock Bowl in Dubuque.

"It wasn't always pretty, but I was proud of the way the kids battled tonight," Simpson head coach Mike Wilson said. "We weathered the storm and took care of business."

The win marks the first shootout victory in program – the last time Simpson went to penalty kicks was in the 2002 Iowa Conference Tournament, when Luther advanced past the Storm in the semifinals.

"Tonight we were able to find the energy I felt we were missing last week," Wilson said. "We had a few guys playing hurt tonight, and the rest of the team fed off of their dedication to the cause."

Luther (7-9-1) outshot Simpson 12-8, putting five shots on goal to Simpson's three. The Norse spent a majority of the overtime periods in the attacking zone, but was turned away by the Storm defense.

The Norse saw its season come to a close after defeating Simpson, 1-0 in the regular season matchup, also in Decorah.

With just over five minutes remaining in regulation, Simpson had a golden opportunity by way of a penalty kick courtesy of senior Corey Miller (Sioux City, Iowa/Heelan). Miller's attempt flew wide of the mark, the best look at the goal of the night for the Storm.

"Anytime that happens, it's tough to overcome," Wilson said of the missed opportunity. "But we came back and played well in overtime, battled, and refused to be denied."

Connor Skultety (Sr., Lincoln, Neb./Southwest) and Evan Hammans (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/West Des Moines Valley) made good on the first two penalty kicks for Simpson, while Luther made 1-of-2. The two teams traded for the remainder of the period, with Sandro Tadic (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) and Lucas Haack (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny) setting the stage for Youngman's winner.