Bellevue Wins Fifth Straight CAC Men’s Soccer Title

Top-seeded Bellevue University (Nebraska) overcame an early deficit to defeat No. 2 seed Georgia Gwinnett College 2-1 to claim its fifth consecutive Continental Athletic Conference men's soccer championship on Wednesday afternoon at the Grizzly Soccer Complex in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

The Bruins (15-2-2), ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA poll, evened the contest at 1-1 on a penalty-kick goal by Matias Daniel-Doren in the 22nd minute.

Earlier, GGC's Toufik Najem had bent a left corner kick into the back of the Bellevue net in the fourth minute to give the tournament hosts a quick 1-0 advantage.

It was Bellevue's turn to score quickly in the second half as Edwin Cisneros drilled a shot into the upper right corner of Georgia Gwinnett College's goal from 25 yards to give the Bruins the 2-1 winning edge.

The Grizzlies (11-6-2) managed to attempt eight shots in the second half as they searched for the match-tying goal. Bellevue goalkeeper Taariq Ganga, the 2024 CAC Goalkeeper of the Year, made three quality saves during the second half to keep the team ahead.

Overall, GGC held a 15-8 shot edge, led by Najem with five shot attempts.

With the victory, Bellevue has claimed the CAC's automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament. NAIA First & Second Round selections will be announced by the national office on Saturday, November 16, at 3 p.m.

2024 Continental Athletic Conference Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player: Edwin Cisneros, Bellevue University

Buster Honeywell, Bellevue University

Carlos Ortega, Bellevue University

Ciro Damine, Georgia Gwinnett College

Chris Stafford, Georgia Gwinnett College

Juan Manuel Fermoselle, Florida National University

Filipe Sette Ribeiro, Florida National University

Jevaughn Smith, Talladega College

Joel Wilson, Talladega College

Karell Buitendijk, Carolina University

Marcos Hernandez Molina, Washington Adventist University