SUPERIOR, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (17-3-2, 14-0 UMAC) won the 2024 UMAC Men’s Soccer Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 6-2 victory over the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings (12-7-3, 11-2-1 UMAC). The tournament title is both the Yellowjackets eighth in program history and their eighth in a row.
Jake Kidd gave UW-Superior an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the second minute of play. The Yellowjackets’ junior scored again less than four minutes later to give UWS a 2-0 lead just 5:58 into the game.
The flurry of early goals continued as Daniel Almeida scored just over two minutes later for Bethany Lutheran to cut the Yellowjackets’ lead in half, setting the score at 2-1 just 8:13 into the championship.
Aaron Shartin-Folkert and Freddy Watson gave UW-Superior two more goals less than a minute apart, scoring at the 15:10 and 16:01 minute marks respectively to put the Yellowjackets up 4-1 over Bethany Lutheran.
After five goals were scored in the first 16 minutes, the two teams would hold each other scoreless until the 65
th minute in the second half when Isaac Becket scored to add on the UWS lead, up 5-1.
Bethany Lutheran scored again in the 74
th minute as Ben Klausen found the back of the net, but Phillip Ericksen answered for the Yellowjackets just one minute and 23 seconds later to regain the four-goal lead for UW-Superior.
The Yellowjackets held that 6-2 lead to the final horn to secure the UMAC Tournament championship victory.
Kidd was named the UMAC Tournament MVP.
With the UMAC Tournament victory, UW-Superior has earned the UMAC’s automatic bid and will advance to compete in the NCAA DIII Tournament starting next weekend.