Bellevue suffers overtime heartbreak against Madonna

IRVINE, Calif. -- Marlon Freitas scored in the 91^st minute to give Madonna University a 1-0 overtime victory over the No. 10-seed Bellevue University men's soccer team in the second round of the 2018 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship on Tuesday afternoon at the OC Great Park Championship Stadium.

Records:

#6 Bellevue: 18-2-2
#19 Madonna: 18-4-0

Recap: Madonna 1, Bellevue 0

After 90 minutes of scoreless play, Marlon Freitas found the back of the net in the 91^st minute to end BU's record-setting season.

Chances were tough to come by in the first half for both sides despite 17 total shots. Madonna out-shot BU 11-6 in the period and had a 2-0 edge in corner kicks but the Bruins held a 3-2 edge in shots on goal.

The Crusaders' best chance came in the 14^th minute when Leonardo Abonizio came at BU keeper AJ Jarvis with possession but Jarvis came out to meet Abonizio and made a sliding stop.

Bellevue had two scoring opportunities just a few minutes apart. In the 26^th minute Renato Silva played a ball across the front of the area that came to the feet of Emil Gebelhoff but his attempt wasn't squared and the shot went wide.

Then, in the 29^th minute, Gebelhoff chipped a ball in behind the defense to Inaki Aldao but he had his shot saved and the game remained scoreless.

A crucial moment came in the 66^th minute when Bruin captain Jacob Pease – BU's all-time leader in appearances – had to be subbed off with an apparent injury.

Marlon Freitas found some space for Madonna at the end of the 18 in the 76^th minute but his shot was calmly collected by Jarvis.

The Crusaders were gifted a 78^th minute free kick just outside 18-yard box after what appeared to be a soft foul and yellow card was issued. The BU wall turned away Yuri Farkas Guglielmi's chance, blocking the shot and clearing any danger.

Freitas forced a Bellevue turnover and charged towards goal in the 80^th minute but Jarvis again turned away the attempt.

The game remained scoreless and headed to extra time despite 36 shots in the game, Madonna holding a 24-12 advantage overall and 6-4 in attempts on goal. The Crusaders also gained a 7-0 corner kick advantage.

Guglielmi played Ludvick Asigo who curled a ball in behind the BU defense to Freitas who took a touch before beating Jarvis back across his body just 17 seconds into the extra period.

Up Next:

Madonna will face No. 2-seed Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the quarterfinals tomorrow. Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Central).

Bellevue's season comes to a close with a final record of 18-2-2.

Notes:

• Bellevue falls to 4-6-0 all-time in National Tournament matches.
• The game was the third-straight BU NAIA Second Round game to require extra time.

Records Set: