PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The Blugolds won a 1-0 thriller over UW-Platteville in overtime on Sunday at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium.
Payton Douglas made six saves including a crucial penaltly kick save in the 93rd minute.
Colin Mandernach found the back of the net in the 95th minute off an assist from
Owen Backus to send the Blugolds back to the NCAA Tournament. UW-Platteville finished with a slight 14-12 edge in shots and a 6-5 advantage in shots on goal.
The Blugolds opened the first half with a corner kick at 1:02 and shots from
Tate McDermott and
Baylor Denu in the first five minutes, while Douglas made his first save on a Westley Hankes attempt at 9:24.
Noah Malcook and
Ramzi Ouro each put shots on frame that Connor Waite saved, and Thomas Slater and Denu added later attempts before UWEC earned another corner in the 32nd minute. UWP generated the late pressure, with Douglas saving Aiden Hatleberg's shot at 33:56 before Thomas Gaither and Hankes sent attempts off target, and the first half ended scoreless.
The Pioneers generated the first sustained push of the second half, earning corners at 50:17, 61:07 and 62:06 while Douglas saved shots from Justin Williams and Caden Wits during that stretch. The middle of the half became foul-heavy before the Blugolds created their own chances, with
Elijah Post forcing a save at 73:40 and
Tobias Volkmann hitting the top woodwork seven seconds later. UW-Eau Claire added a corner at 77:58 and a Malcook shot at 78:33, but the Pioneers came back with late attempts, including another Douglas save on Brady Harwood at 84:28.
Kyron Pope put a shot on frame at 87:07 and Volkmann had the final attempt at 90:00, but neither team scored as the half ended with the match tied 0-0.
At 92:37 of overtime, the Blugolds were shown a yellow card and Douglas saved Roberto Salinas' penalty kick for UWP. UWEC broke through at 94:09, when Mandernach scored off Backus' assist to make it 1-0, crowning the Blugolds as WIAC Champions for the third straight season.
With this victory, the Blugolds have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, showcasing their consistent performance on the national stage. UWEC advances to 10-3-7 overall and the Pioneers fall to 10-5-4 overall.
The Blugolds will await their NCAA destination as the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, November 9 at 10:00 a.m. The show can be viewed on
NCAA.com.
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