UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -  Southern Nazarene University's Men's Soccer team left it all on the field in University Center, Michigan, battling Rogers State in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. After an intense 90 minutes and overtime, the Storm fell just short in a 3-2 loss.

The match started with SNU's (12-5-4, 8-1-3 GAC) Francisco Chong taking the first shot of the game just nine minutes in, but it sailed just wide. Rogers State (9-5-6, 8-1-3 GAC) broke through first with 22:42 on the clock when Brandon O'Rourke found the net, putting the Hillcats up 1-0. 

SNU kept pressing, with Junior Duran and Kouri Denham firing shots that tested RSU's keeper Declan Viljoen, but he held firm. At halftime, the Storm remained trailing the Hillcats 1-0.

The second half brought the intensity up another notch. The Crimson Storm came out firing, with Duran's shot with 49:10 on the clock forcing another save from Viljoen. The Storm finally broke through with 71:20 on the clock when Cesar Solis, assisted by Lucas Beja and Niklas Stalzer, delivered a goal to tie the game at 1-1.

The Storm kept the momentum going, and not long after, Lucas Beja came through with a clutch shot that put SNU up 2-1.

Rogers State wasn't giving up that easily. With the clock winding down, Marcos Vasallo stepped up and scored with a minute left in the match, tying things up at 2-2 and pushing the game into overtime.

With 94:12 on the clock, Rogers State sealed the victory with a penalty goal to take the match 3-2. 

The Crimson Storm has officially wrapped up on their 2024 season and is already gearing up for 2025.