Eugene, Ore. | The Warner Pacific University Men's Soccer team (16-3-2) came just short of completing their historic run through the Cascade Collegiate Conference for the 2021 season, falling in the conference tournament championship game today to the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls in double overtime, with a final of 1-2.

The Knights played an incredible 104 minutes of soccer today, but weren't able to manage 6 more minutes to force the penalty kicks needed to decide the fate of this game. Despite outshooting the Owls 19-17, including 3 more shots on goal than Oregon Tech, Warner Pacific just wasn't able to convert on the numerous opportunities granted by the defensively focused OIT unit.

After going down 1-0 early in the game, the Knights knew this would be another hard fought game, regardless of the outcome. Owls' Anthony Santillan scorched one past the diving arms of Knights' goalkeeper Alexis Calderilla-Hurtado in the 14^th minute to force Warner Pacific into a place of adversity they have not experienced much this season.

With less than twelve minutes left in the game, all seemed lost for the large crowd of WPU fans that made the two hour drive south, yet they remained loud and supportive for their Knights up to the tie-breaking goal by junior forward Sunjoon Tenorio. Off an Alex Nana corner kick, Tenorio found some space in the back corner of the goal unguarded by Owls' goalkeeper Joel Witts, where he sunk the header to knot this game at 1-1, giving flashback vibes to the last time the Knights and Owls took the turf together.

One and a half overtime periods later, this game came to its final resting place. Owls' defender Brock Rideout clinched the Owls' tournament championship on bouncing ball the Knights left in the penalty box for far too long. As the ball bobbled from player to player, both sides unable to clear or shoot the ball, Rideout took the advantage and pushed it past Calderilla-Hurtado to give the Owls the tiebreaker in this historic season series between conference opponents.

Head Coach Troy Ready felt the impact of today's loss as much as anyone else, yet was still the first on the field holding his players' heads high for the exceptional game they played. When asked to share his thoughts on today's match, Coach Ready shared, "It always hurts to lose, especially when you are playing for a championship. No doubt, we are feeling it."

"With that being said, I thought we played a really great match. We dictated play for the majority of the game and just couldn't find the game-winning goal. I am extremely proud of the way our team is performing," Coach Ready went on to say.

"Now, as we set our sights on the national tournament, we will get bodies healthy and refine a few areas to be at our best for the opening round," Coach Ready concluded.

Warner Pacific Men's Soccer already knows they will be in the NAIA National Tournament next week, they just need to know where they are going, and who they are facing. Next Monday, November 15th, Warner Pacific University Athletics will be hosting the Men's Soccer team and students, family, friends, and staff/faculty to come watch the NAIA Tournament Bracket Live Stream Release together in C.C. Perry Gym on WPU Campus. The bracket release is set to start at 10am PST.

If you'd like to help contribute to the WPU Men's Soccer history this season, you can do so by visiting https://support.warnerpacific.edu/wpu2nationals