SUPERIOR, WIS. — The University of Northwestern men's soccer team kicked off a semifinal Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) playoff contest against UW-Superior on Wednesday afternoon. The hard-fought game was won by the Yellowjackets, who captured a 5-1 victory on the mid-day match. 

Taking on the first half, both teams rallied in a back-and-fourth battle. The purple and gold put forth their best efforts against the home team, as they pressured the black and yellow with all they had.

The men remained patient as their scoring opportunity did not come until the 43:00 minute when Eric Fast (Eagan, Minn./Homeschool) buried a shot off of a free kick to boost a 1-0 lead just before the halftime break.

Stopping one penalty kick at the 40' mark, Goalkeeper Turner Main (Kewaunee, Wis./Kewaunee) ended the period with a solid performance as he caught seven saves. On the half, UNW managed to fire off five shots with one shot on goal, as UWS noted 11 shots with seven shots on goal.

Opening up the second, Main blocked another penalty kick opportunity, but the home team made it a 1-1 tie game as they knocked in a shot off of a corner kick with 52:00 on the clock. Eight minutes later, UWS netted another goal off of a shot deflection to post a 2-1 lead.

As the 90:00-minute showdown came to a halt, the Yellowjackets were able to secure three more goal to finalize a 5-1 win over the Eagles. With the win, UW-Superior will move onto the championship round of the UMAC playoff tournament on Saturday, November 5th, as Northwestern's season comes to a close.

Wrapping up the contest, the Eagles totaled seven shots and two shots on goal, which fell short to the Yellowjackets 27 shots and 16 shots on goal. Northwestern's game leaders on the day's competition were Fast (1S / 1SOG / 1G), Main (11 saves), Chris Cleope (Waterloo, Iowa./Waterloo West) (2S / 1SOG), and Matthew McCann (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) (2S).

Concluding the 2016 soccer season, UNW finishes with an 8-9-1 overall record.