Next stop, San Antonio: Dominican advances to NCAA III men's soccer championship semifinal
DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Dominican University Stars punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Semifinals with a 2-0 win over the Whitworth University Pirates in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday night. The Stars, now 19-1-3 on the season, posted their third straight shutout victory over a ranked team after posting back-to-back 1-0 victories over No. 24 UW-Whitewater and No. 7 Loras College.

Junior Michael Kapusta (Bartlett, Ill.) netted what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 54th minute after Edwin Lagunas (Waukegan, Ill.) came away with the ball after a long throw. The score was Kapusta's ninth tally of the season and team-leading 29th point.

Dominican went on to add an insurance goal in the 64th minute as freshman Ryan Roberts (Elmhurst, Ill.) scored an unassisted goal. It was the 6'1" Elmhurst native's eighth goal of the season.

Sophomore Maxwell Gutbrod (Slinger, Wis.) got the start in goal for the Stars for the third straight game, picking up his sixth shutout of the season and third of the postseason. Gutbrod faced just six shots from the Pirates, making one save, with Dominican holding a 14-6 advantage in shots.

Dominican will now travel to San Antonio, Texas, for the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship final four. The Stars will meet the Calvin College Knights on Friday, December 4, with the winner advancing to the National Championship match to be played on Saturday, December 5. Game times for the semifinals have yet to be announced.

Courtesy of Dominican University, Sports Information Department, November 22, 2009.