WICHITA, Kan. - Men's soccer capped off its historic regular season in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31), defeating the McPherson College Bulldogs 3-2 on Senior Day at Adair-Austin Stadium. Diego Marin delivered the game-winning goal with just 39 seconds remaining to send the Falcons into postseason play with momentum.
Coming off their first KCAC regular-season championship since 2006, the Falcons looked to finish the regular season strong and avenge last season's 3-1 loss to McPherson.
Friends struck first in the 21st minute when Jose Quiel converted a penalty kick to give the Falcons an early 1-0 advantage.
Just over two minutes later, Fernando Suarez Picatoste doubled the lead at 22:43, finding the back of the net off an assist from Ben Scognamillo to put Friends ahead 2-0.
However, the Bulldogs would not go away quietly. McPherson's leading scorer, Nathan Van Wyck, cut the deficit in half at 31:54 off an assist from Sijmen Van Der Zee. Less than three minutes later, Ronald Lozano found the equalizer at 34:27, assisted by Ryoga Oki, sending the teams into halftime tied at 2-2.
The Falcons came out of the break looking to regain control, applying pressure on the Bulldogs' defense throughout the second half. Friends recorded 11 shots in the final 45 minutes after managing just two in the opening half.
Despite several scoring opportunities, the match appeared headed for a draw until the Falcons delivered one final moment of magic.
With just 39 seconds remaining in regulation, Quiel connected with Marin, who found the back of the net at 89:21 to give Friends a thrilling 3-2 victory in its regular-season finale.
Quiel led the Falcons offensively with a goal and an assist, while Marin and Suarez each added a goal. Scognamillo also recorded an assist in the victory.
Goalkeeper Cameron Stout played a crucial role in keeping the Falcons in the match, recording eight saves across 90 minutes. McPherson outshot Friends 16-13 and held a 10-6 advantage in shots on goal, but the Falcons capitalized when it mattered most.
The victory also evened the all-time series between Friends and McPherson at 14-14-2.
With the regular season now complete, Friends will turn its attention to postseason play. As KCAC regular-season champions, the Falcons will be the number one seed and host a KCAC Tournament match at Adair-Austin Stadium as they look to continue their historic campaign. Kansas Wesleyan could be the Falcons' opponent, as a win or draw against Avila on Sunday would set up a postseason matchup. Tabor currently sits in eighth place in the KCAC standings and remains another potential opponent for the Falcons.
