Lima, Ohio – This afternoon the Columbia College men's soccer team traveled to Lima, Ohio, to take on Northwestern Ohio University in the 2016 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round. It was a cold day in the northwestern Ohio as Racers defeated the Cougars by a final score of 7-2.

The Cougars came out in the first half and dominated the Racers from the opening whistle. It did not take long for Columbia College to get on the board in the game as Zachary Felz was able to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead just 10 minutes into the contest. Northwestern Ohio battled back after the goal and tied the game just a few minutes later when Carlos Garces Suarez found Luca Mastrantonio in the box who finished it off to tie the game at one.

The Racers controlled the pace of the game following their goal and created several scoring opportunities in the remainder of the half. However, the Cougars stood up to the test defensively and kept the Racers out of the back of the net. They were outshot in the first half 7-3 and only had one shot on target compared to four from Northwestern Ohio.

In the second half, the Cougars were plagued by defensive miscues that allowed the Racers to take control of the game. Their first came when Northwestern Ohio worked the ball deep into Columbia's half before playing a cross into the center of the box. It looked as if the Cougars were going to clear the ball but the defender and the goalie were not on the same page as the ball was accidently headed into the back of the net by the Columbia defender.

The Cougars bounced back just a few minutes later and tied the game at two when Mark Steiniger ripped a shot that was saved by the Racers keeper. The rebound bounced in front of the goal and Michael Mayberry was there to finish it off to tie the game at two. However, it was another own goal from the Cougars that put the Racers ahead 3-2 with 27 minutes remaining in the game.

The second own goal deflated Columbia College's confidence as the Racers seemed to score at will over the next few minutes. They added three more goals on their next three shots including a bicycle kick goal finished off by Luca Mastrantonio to take a 6-2 lead with just under 20 minutes remaining in the match. They added one more goal late in the contest and solidified their spot in the next round of the national tournament.

Iain McTurk was in goal for the Cougars tonight recording four saves in the contest. The senior keeper finished his final season in Columbia with a 9-5-1 record and had five solo shutouts on the season while recording 53 saves.

This marks the end of the season for the Columbia College men's soccer team. The AMC Tournament Champions finished the season with an overall record of 12-7-2. Northwestern Ohio will advance to play Thomas (Ga.) University on Monday, November 28^th at 4 p.m. in Delray Beach, Florida. Thomas (Ga.) University advanced after defeating Georgia Gwinnett College 3-2 in overtime earlier this afternoon.