Grand Rapids, Mich. – The (RV) Aquinas men's soccer team hosted the UNOH Racers on a rainy Tuesday night (Nov. 5) to open up the WHAC Quarterfinals. UNOH was the first to score, taking a one-goal lead into the second half. With 30 minutes remaining, the captain Joe Lockey tied up the contest. Ricardo Rittersberger then broke the Racers' playoff dreams with just 99 seconds left on the clock. Rittersberger chipped the ball over the keeper to take the lead and advance the Saints into the semifinals.

Aquinas 2, UNOH 1

The first half was fairly quiet with both teams trying to adjust to the wet conditions. Ivan Radovic was called into action several times throughout the half, making impressive stops to keep the score level. The Racers managed to hold possession well in the first 30 minutes of the game and found the first goal of the contest in the 33rd minute after a series of passes moved the ball past the backline.

Neither side mustered much offense following the first goal, resulting in a 1-0 UNOH lead after the first 45 minutes of play. Radovic highlighted the first half with five saves.

The second half saw AQ pick up the pace a bit in between stoppages. Mason Sills found a good chance very early in the half, but the UNOH keeper was positioned well to make the stop.

AQ generated a couple of early corners, including a corner in the 62nd minute. Yussef Hakmaoui sent the ball into the box and, after some bouncing around between several players, the ball found its way to Lockey's foot and he ripped the ball into the net to tie up the game.

That equalizer sparked some offense from the Racers, which called Radovic back into action. AQ's keeper made several more saves and avoided conceding an incredible strike from outside the box, which saw the ball bounce off the crossbar.

AQ weathered the storm into the final minutes of regulation with the score still tied at 1-1. With less than two minutes left to go, Sills won a header in the attacking third and found Rittersberger on to net. AQ's striker fended off the UNOH defender and then beat the keeper with a clean chip to take the lead with just 99 seconds remaining on the clock.

Despite UNOH's best efforts, they could not generate an attack and AQ went on to win the contest and advance in the WHAC tournament.

By the Numbers:

• Radovic had an incredible performance, recording a career-high 11 saves to keep AQ in the game.
• Rittersberger scored his 18th goal in his 18th appearance of the year. It was also his ninth game-winning goal.
• Lockey scored his fourth goal of the season and was an anchor on the backline all night next to Josh Freeman-Wright.
• AQ has now won the past four meetings against the Racers.

Up Next

The Saints will take to the road on Saturday (Nov. 9) to take on top-seeded Madonna in the WHAC semifinals. The time of the game will be updated on the website when it is announced.