Box Score

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Rockhurst's Paolo Scoppola scored with 54 seconds to play to give the top-seeded Hawks a 2-1 victory over the No. 6 seed University of Missouri-St. Louis men's soccer team Sunday afternoon in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game at Bourke Field on the Rockhurst University campus.

The loss ends the Tritons' season at 12-7-1, the program's best mark since the 1996 team finished 12-7-2.

Rockhurst, ranked fifth nationally, claimed its third GLVC title in men's soccer with the victory, while improving to 17-2-2 overall, including 9-0-1 at home this season.

The Hawks, which avenged a 1-0 overtime loss to the Tritons earlier this season in St. Louis, got on the board first, striking just four minutes 52 seconds into the contest when Sean Verbanic sent the ball into the back of the net from the middle of the box. Rockhurst took the 1-0 lead into the break after outshooting UMSL, 8-2.

The lead would stand until the 72:16 mark, when junior Matt Burrus headed the ball in from nine yards out off a Dane O'Keefe free kick. It was Burrus' third goal of the season and O'Keefe's first assist of the year.

Scoppola's heroics then came on a shot from 15 yards inside the right post.

Rockhurst finished the game outshooting UMSL, 19-9, including 5-1 in shots on goal. The Hawks also held an 11-3 edge in corner kicks. Burrus took a team-best five shots.

Senior keeper Patrick Ream recorded three saves.

Triton Tidbits: UMSL is 7-9 all-time in GLVC Tournament games and falls to 0-3 in championship games... the Tritons end the year 3-2-1 against ranked opponents… 14 of its games were decided by one goal or less.