Milligan Moves On to NAIA Quarterfinal Round

WICHITA, Kan. - Milligan needed extra time and then some to extend its stay at the 2023 NAIA Men's Soccer Championship.

In the round of 16 on Monday, the Buffaloes ended regulation and two overtime periods tied with the Rams of Mobile (Ala.) at 1-all. However, Milligan won the shootout 4-2 to advance to the quarterfinal round.

The tournament is being held in Wichita, Kan., with the round of 16 being played at the Stryker Indoor Center.

This marks the first time in program history Milligan has advanced to the quarterfinal round, and the Buffaloes are only the third Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) team to advance to the men's soccer quarterfinal round, joining Covenant (Ga.) (2002) and Union (2016).

The game against No. 8-seeded Mobile was scoreless through the first half and remained 0-0 until the 81st minute when Santiago Corral slotted the ball past the Ram goalkeeper for the game's first goal. Battling a defender in the box, Corral gathered the ball atop the 6-yard box and powered it past the Rams' Ty Turner, who dove in vain to his right.

However, the lead lasted only 38 seconds.

Mobile's Zacharia Hasler got an extraordinary first touch on a volley to send a rocket to the back of the net from 20 yards out, leveling the score at 1-all in the 82nd minute.

Both teams had opportunities to collect the game-winner during the final minutes of regulation and through two overtime periods, but the game finished knotted at 1-1.

In the shootout, Milligan went first, and Simen Haraldstad gave the Buffaloes the lead at 1-0. Joseph McMahon was the first to step for Mobile, but his shot missed the mark. Both teams scored on their next two attempts, and Kai Slinn gave Milligan a 4-2 lead. The ticket to the quarterfinal round was punched when Mobile's Samuel Mutiri missed, securing the 4-2 shootout win for Milligan.

Adria Alles came up big for Milligan in net, making eight saves during the 110 minutes of play.

Milligan extended its unbeaten streak to 19 games as it now stands at 17-2-4 overall.

The Buffaloes will face the Bruins of Bellevue (Neb.) on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET.