The Pioneers edged past the Eastern Illinois Panthers 1-0 in the Summit League Semi-Final with the lone goal coming from the boot of senior Andre Shinyashiki (São Paulo, Brazil). The Pioneers performed well at both ends of the the field as they were able to hold the Panthers to only one shot on goal.
The first half began slow as the teams acclimated to each other as their last meeting was on Sept. 29. It only took 11 minutes for Shinyashiki, the back-to-back Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, to score his 28th goal of the season. It came off of a wonderful combination play between sophomore Jacob Stensson (Stockholm, Sweden) and senior Moshe Perez (Shim’a, Israel) to get the ball to Shinyashiki. Once Shinyashiki received the ball, he turned the corner and with a small shift to the left, Shinyashiki curled it in to the back of the net. Redshirt-sophomore Will Palmquist (Denver) would come up in the 13th minute to keep the teams level as he palmed a ball above the crossbar. The Pioneers would see a couple of chances off of free kicks fall short. This would end the first half with the Pioneers ahead 1-0.
The second half would see the Pioneers and Panthers play more level with each other as chances for both teams were ready for the taking. Stensson would start it off for the Pioneers as he sent a bullet just above the bar in the 54th minute. Shinyashiki would almost connect with the head of freshman Stefan DeLeone (Fort Collins, Colo.) in the 62nd minute off of a world-class chip by Shinyashiki. Palmquist would make only have to make one save to help preserve the cleansheet and the 1-0 win for the Pioneers. When asked about initial thoughts of the game, Head Coach Jamie Franks stated, “I think at this point in the season, it is about surviving and advancing. We came out here to get a cleansheet and we did.”
The Pioneers showed their offensive might again as they took twelve shots over the Panthers’ four shots. “It’s just another chance to win a trophy, and we have waited a long time for this. There is no doubt, I’ve got some guys with some big time experience in that locker room,” Coach Franks commented.
The Pioneers will face Omaha in the Summit League Final for the third year in a row and the series is tied at one apiece, it will be a great watch for soccer fans. The Pioneers will look to avenge last year’s final when the Pioneers ultimately lost in the 11th round of penalties. The game will begin at 3 p.m. MST at Ciber Field.
