Men’s Soccer: Hawks capture third GLVC championship

The fifth-ranked Rockhurst Hawks defeated Missouri-St. Louis 2-1 Sunday at Rockhurst to capture their third Great Lakes Valley Conference championship. Junior midfielder Paolo Scoppola scored the winning goal with 54 seconds left in regulation.

Scoppola’s game winner was a 15-yard shot just inside the right post. The goal was set up off a corner kick from John Merlo and a pass from Jon Schreiber to Scoppola.

Junior midfielder Sean Verbanic gave Rockhurst a 1-0 lead with a goal in the fifth minute. Missouri-St. Louis tied the score in the 73rd minute.

The Hawks also won GLVC men’s soccer titles in 2005 and 2008. Rockhurst, 17-2-2, will now advance to play in the NCAA Championships next week.

Rockhurst head coach Tony Tocco now has 617 career wins. Tocco ranks No. 2 on the career win list for all levels of intercollegiate men’s college soccer coaches.

On Friday, the Hawks blanked Southern Indiana 2-0 at Bourke Field in the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament. UMSL edged second-seeded Quincy, 2-1, in Friday’s first semifinal game.

Junior forward Mark Magee scored Rockhurst’s first goal in the 11th minute when he slipped past several defenders and hit a shot from 14 yards out. Magee is the GLVC leader in goals (15), points (39) and game-winning goals (7).

Scoppola put the Hawks in front 2-0 when he found the nets on a direct kick from 22 yards out. Scoppola and Magee led the Hawks with three shots apiece.