MONTGOMERY, Ill. (naccsports.org) --- Fourth-seeded Milwaukee School of Engineering completed an improbable run through the 2025 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Men's Soccer Tournament with a 1-0 victory over No. 2-seeded Aurora University in the championship final Friday night at Spartan Athletic Park.
It is the second consecutive NACC Tournament title for the MSOE (14-5-3) and the fifth in program history (2014, 2015, 2021 North, 2024, 2025).
After a scoreless first half, the Raiders broke through in the 59th minute. Lachlan Ladd snuck a shot past Aurora goalkeeper Alex Ageladelis toward the mouth of the goal only to see it blocked by the Spartans' Ray Fisher. The rebound went right to MSOE's Nico Picha, who sent a hard shot into the back of the net. Ladd was credited with an assist on the play.
The Spartans (13-4-3) were only able to manage four shots down the stretch, of which two were secured by MSOE goalkeeper Christian Dershem. The other two failed to find the frame.
MSOE held a 12-11 advantage in shots overall with each team recording four shots on goal. The Raiders also held a 7-2 edge in corner kicks, including a 4-0 mark in the second half.
Picha and Adrian Manchado were credited with four shots apiece and accounted for all four of MSOE's shots on goal (Manchado 3, Picha 1).
Aurora was led by three shots each from Walter Delapaz and Josue Roman.
Dershem finished with four saves, while Ageladelis had three.
With the victory, the Raiders also earn the NACC's automatic berth in the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. The full field and regional assignments will be unveiled during the championship selection show at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10 on NCAA.com.
2025 NACC Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
Nico Picha, jr., F, MSOE (MVP)
Tanner Cellio, sr., MF, MSOE
Alex Lamb, sr., D, MSOE
Braeden Roth, sr., D, MSOE
Branden Dolezal, sr., F, Aurora
Julian Orozco, jr., D, Aurora
Josue Roman, so., MF, Aurora
Brandon Kaup, sr., MF, Edgewood
Liam Moreira, fr., F/MF, Edgewood
Tomas Rebellato, jr., F, Illinois Tech
Mateo Secaira, fr., F, Illinois Tech
Kamil Bak, jr., F, Benedictine
Ryan Gutierrez, sr., MF, Dominican
Brayden Johnson, so., F, Marian
Joe Anguil, jr., MF, St. Norbert
* - Selected by the participating coaches