Principia Men's Soccer Earns Number 1 Seed in SLIAC Playoffs

Elsah, IL
 
On Saturday, November 2^nd, the Westminster Blue Jays traveled to Elsah, Illinois to face the Principia Men in the final game of the regular season.  The game had big playoff implications for both teams.  A win for the Panthers would clinch a playoff appearance and a loss could potentially eliminate them from the postseason.  The result would be the difference between a second place finish in the SLIAC standings and a fifth place finish.
 
Iowa Wesleyan solidified their place at the top of the SLIAC table earlier in the week, however their accumulation of yellow and red cards during the regular season made them ineligible for SLIAC postseason play.   
 
Despite the circumstances and projections, Principia entered the game with the purpose of building on their momentum and demonstrating the same quality of play that earned them results throughout the season.

The Panthers also celebrated a strong class of seniors in their last regular season game; George Agai, Gabriel Ferreira Theodoro, Quinn Heinbaugh, Carson Hussey, Jordan Jones, Kaden Keller, Nick Klusmeyer, David McCook, Matthew McLeod-Warrick, Mourad Sami, and Tyler Winterbottom.  The success of the team this year is built on the hard work that these seniors contributed in their years with Principia Soccer.  
 
Both teams found opportunities in the first half, but the Blue Jays capitalized on a cross into the box in the 34^th minute.  The ball dropped to Joe Wilder who headed it in (Principia 0 – 1 Westminster).  Principia took six shots in the first half, to Westminster's five.
 
Principia took control of the game in the second half, leaving little room for Westminster to get forward.  In the 62^nd minute, Cameron Sellers picked up the ball in the Blue Jays' half and connected with Cole Heinbaugh.  Heinbaugh fed the ball through the Westminster back line back to Sellers and Sellers struck it into the goal confidently (Principia 1 – 1 Westminster).
 
The Principia men continued to battle, forcing turnovers and winning strong tackles.  They found chances but struggled to finish.  In the 85^th minute though, the Panthers finally broke through.  A corner kick was cleared out of the box, but Cole Heinbaugh collected the clearance and played a pass to Carson Hussey on the top of the 18.  Hussey flicked it on with a great bit of skill to Kaden Keller who found himself free in the box and touched it past the Westminster goalkeeper for the game winner (Principia 2 – 1 Westminster).  The Principia defense played a strong and well-organized game, once again, to eliminate Westminster's threats.

Principia is the number one seed in the SLIAC tournament and they will face Westminster (#4 seed) again on Wednesday night in the Playoff Semi-Finals at 7PM.   
 
Playoff Admission:
Adults (over 16) - $5
Age 5-16 - $2 (Children under 5, free admission)
Principia Students – Free (covered by Principia Athletic Department)
Students (with School ID) - $2