Men's soccer moves on to National Quarterfinals with 1-0 victory over #9 Dominican

Dubuque, Iowa- As a freshman Marshall Hollingsworth has shown a flair for the dramatic and a propencity for big moments.  Both were on display on Friday night as Hollingsworth registered a point for the third straight postseason game and scored Wheaton's lone goal in a 1-0 victory over #8-ranked Dominican in an NCAA Sectional Semifinal game.  With the win, Wheaton avenges a 2-0 loss to the Stars earlier this season.

Both teams managed 12 shots in the match with Wheaton (18-3-3) owning a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.  Dominican outcornered the Thunder 9-4, including 8-2 in the second half.

Fans had barely settled into their seats before the Stars put the first serious attempt together.  In just the second minute, Luiz Montaya found space and rattled the woodwork with a blistering shot off the crossbar that bounded away harmlessly.  After that both teams were starved for opportunities as the two sides combined for just seven shots in what would be a scoreless first half.

A second half hero throughout their playoff run, Marshall Hollingsworth (PICTURED RIGHT) continued his success early in the second half.  Hollingsworth took a pass from Adam Blackman (PICTURED RIGHT) and beat Dominican keeper Maxwell Gutbrod to give Wheaton a 1-0 lead.  Gutbrod allowed one goal and made six saves in goal for the Stars.

Both teams had sold opportunities through the middle minutes of the second half until Dominican started to control the tempo as the second half wore on.  In the 74th minute, Marco Alvarez put a dangerous attempt on frame from the right wing that was deflected wide and earned the Stars a corner kick.

Dominican mounted one final assault in the final two minutes of the match.  Ryan Seager (PICTURED LEFT) made one of his two saves on the night on a shot to the near post in the 88th minute that temporarily twarted a Dominican attack.  In the final minute the Stars pushed everyone forward into the attack and looked to have something when Ryan Ybarra blasted a heavy right foot towards an open net, but Kevin Skinker deflected the ball wide for a corner kick with just 25 seconds remaining.

Off the corner, the ball floated loose to the far side of the box and the Stars had one last open look with ten seconds remaining, but the shot flew high and over the crossbar securing the 1-0 victory for the Thunder.

The Stars finish their season with a record of 18-3-1.

Note worthy: Wheaton advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since their National Runner-up performance in 2006...Wheaton is now 3-6 all-time against Dominican...Ryan Seager has not allowed a goal in the NCAA Tournament and has not allowed a goal in his last 350 minutes and four seconds of play...Marshall Hollingsworth has recorded a point in nine of his last 11appearances...Hollingsworth's five game-winning goals leads the team...Wheaton and Dominican are located 20 miles apart, but traveled 175 miles west to play at Loras.