RedStorm upends Central Methodist, earns trip to Round of 16

Rio Grande Sports Information
     COLUMBIA, Mo. - As far as veteran University of Rio Grande head coach Scott Morrissey was concerned, his team's meeting with Central Methodist University (Mo.) on Saturday afternoon should've come at the final site of the NAIA Men's Soccer Championship as opposed to being a matchup just to reach the round of 16.
     "Today was a battle. A roll up your sleeves and fight for everything battle," Morrissey said. "The conditions were difficult to play in with the strong winds and the cold. It wasn't a game of attractive soccer, but it was a game that should've been played at the final site - just like last year."
     Charlie Chechlacz's goal with 18:28 left in the game snapped a scoreless tie and lifted the RedStorm to a 1-0 victory over the Eagles in the Columbia Bracket championship game of the national tournament's opening round at Muriel Williams Battle High School.
     Rio Grande, which was ranked No. 20 in the latest NAIA coaches' Top 25 poll and was the No. 3 seed in the four-team bracket, improved to 16-3-2 with the win and punched its ticket to the National Championship Final Site, which begins Nov. 29 at the Jack Allen Soccer Complex in Decatur, Ala.
     The 10 remaining teams were re-seeded late Saturday night, with Rio Grande earning the No. 9 seed. The RedStorm will face eighth-seeded William Carey (Miss.) on the 29th at 2 p.m. EDT.
     Rio also avenged a 3-2 loss to Central Methodist in the championship game of last year's opening round bracket final.
     The top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Eagles - a national semifinalist last season - suffered their first loss of the season and finished 16-1-5.
     Chechlacz, a senior from Liecestershire, England, found the back of the net off of a touch by sophomore teammate Gabriel Silva (Sao Luis, Brazil) to break a defensive stalemate.
     The shot, which came just seconds after junior Benjamin Cam Orellana (Santiago, Chile) banged his own attempt off the post, proved to be the last of Rio's eight shots in the game and only its third on frame.
     Central Methodist, for its part, had only 11 shots - six of which were on goal. The bracket host also had all three of the game's corner kick opportunities.
     Six of the Eagles' 11 shots came in the five minutes that followed Chechlacz's go-ahead goal. Three of the six were blocked by Rio defenders and two of the remaining three were saved by Rio senior keeper Daniel Merino Correa (Madrid, Spain).
     Merino Correa finished with all six of the RedStorm's saves.
     CMU goalie Beer De Vos was credited with two saves.
     "We overcame a lot to get two outstanding results in this opening round," Morrissey said. "Olivet Nazarene was an outstanding team and the game was hard-fought. To turn around and beat Central Methodist on one day's rest says it all."
     "It's time to get some rest and to get healthy for several guys. For the players who did step out, I can't say how proud I am of their performances," continued Morrissey. "Today showed a determination to follow and execute the game plan from start to finish. Credit goes to the coaching staff as well for their preparation to details."