BETTER THAN OK

By Brandon Petersen

Westcliff men's soccer is moving on at the NAIA National Championships after a gritty, exhausting, late-breaking 1–0 win over Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon in Tulsa.

The Warriors survived 96 tense minutes before Adi Vaknin buried the golden-goal winner in overtime, sending the program back to the Round of 16 for the second time in three seasons.

The match had all the hallmarks of tournament soccer: physical play, momentum swings, and long stretches where one mistake could end a season.

Neither team broke through in regulation despite Westcliff generating the stronger chances, outshooting Oklahoma City 13–8 and putting 10 shots on frame.

The Warriors' back line was immense throughout.

Finn Pock and Jeremi Kwiatkowski anchored a defensive unit that refused to break, with Olly Scott posting six saves for his tenth clean sheet of the season.

Demitri Rodriguez Robles and Alex Hernandez were equally influential, breaking up Oklahoma City's build-up and pushing Westcliff into the attack.

Midfielders Sohaib Owais, Aymane El Ghalbzouri, and Fred Becovic logged heavy minutes and controlled the game's tempo as the match tightened late.

The breakthrough finally came in overtime when Vaknin found the ball at his feet just inside the box and smashed home the game-winner in the 96th minute. It was his team-leading 14th goal of the season and the biggest one yet.

Head coach Randy Dodge praised his group's resilience after a cross-country trip and a bruising opening-round matchup.

"What a battle, the boys traveled to compete and make a statement. They sure did that," Dodge said. "We played a very good OK City team and it was back and forth the whole game. We really showed that the West Coast is just as physical as everyone across the country. Back line of Finn, Jeremi and Demi and Sohaib and Fred did fantastic and our midfield was really good. It is always fun to win in golden goal and to see the pure joy on all the guys afterwards was incredible.

"And the journey continues!"

With the win, Westcliff improves to 12-4-2 and will advance to the NAIA Second Round this weekend.

The Warriors will now face Oklahoma Wesleyan, a powerhouse program that played for the NAIA championship just two seasons ago.

It's a golden opportunity to further expand Westcliff's ascending reputation in the NAIA soccer world.