Jonathon Sellers heads ball on snowy day against Sioux Falls
Elise Eberhardt

Men's Soccer Brian Larson, Sports Information Director

First Half Explosion Carries Marauders to Win over Cougars in Season Finale

Four Marauders Score in 4-2 Win

Box Score Bismarck, ND – An explosive first half by the University of Mary on a snow covered field carried the Marauders to a 4-2 home victory over the University of Sioux Falls. Four different Marauders scored goals and Aaron Mc Elwee added two assists in the U-Mary season finale.
 
Jake Meyer opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. Breaking down the Sioux Falls defense from the left side, Cam Hager made a pass from on top of the goal box to the right side where a sliding Meyer tapped the ball into the net 18:10 into the match.
 
Less than four minutes later the Marauders doubled their lead. Following a scramble in front of the Cougars net, Mc Elwee found an open Dace Moerkerke in the goal box. The U-Mary freshman tapped the ball in for his third counter.
 
Sioux Falls would halve the lead in the 31st minute on a miscue by the Marauders. Starting just his second game in goal after playing a field position most of his college career, Nenad Skenderovic bobbled a long entry pass by the Cougars. Mark Tollefsrud gathered up the ball and tapped it into the net at 30:09.
 
Rory Pratt, U-Mary's leading scorer, responded with a spectacular effort 62 seconds later. The sophomore from Dublin, Ireland, would gather the ball outside the penalty box on the right side and drive past multiple defenders before going against the grain and burying the ball in the left corner. His eighth goal of the season increased the Marauders lead to 3-1 and proved to be the game-winner, Pratt's third of the year.
 
Snowy Community Bowl in Men's Soccer 2012 Season Finale
The Marauders would seal the match in the 72nd minute on a set piece. Mc Elwee served a corner kick that Joe Wood headed into the net for his third goal of the year.
 
Ryan Keohane closed the day's scoring with a penalty kick for Sioux Falls at 77:03.
 
Skenderovic was strong in net for U-Mary. The senior made six saves in his final game for the Marauders. USF goalie Kyle Simons also recorded six saves.
 
The Marauders held a 21-16 edge in shots and led 11-9 in shots on frame. The Cougars would have a 7-3 advantage on corner kicks.
 
U-Mary closes the season 5-10-3 overall and 4-8-2 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. In their first year competing in the GNAC, the Marauders will finish sixth out of eight teams. The Marauders exceeded conference expectations after they were projected to finish last in the preseason coaches poll.
 
USF closes the year 1-13-3 and 1-10-3 and will finish eighth in the GNAC.
 
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