MIAMI GARDENS, FL – Menlo Men's Soccer's season comes to a close in the second round of the NAIA National Championships with a loss to #3 St. Thomas University. The match was neck-and-neck with opportunities coming from both ends of the field, but the Bobcats found a way to push ahead. Head Coach Keith Lambert and the Oaks finished the season with an overall record of 10-2-5 and are part of the program that will be written in the Men's Soccer history books as the farthest advanced team in NAIA postseason!
Krumsvik Keeps Menlo In It
Menlo was the underdog coming into this Championship tournament match but you could not tell that from the performance today. The Bobcats did not score until two minutes before halftime to find the lead. The second half stayed scoreless even though Menlo had a fair share of chances inside the box. St. Thomas was testing the Oaks defense with 21 total shots however only 8 shots were on target. The player of the match was goalkeeper Jo Krumsvik who totaled 7 saves in the 90 minutes played. Krumsvik showed great technique on his feet and made some outstanding saves that kept the Oaks close. Another Oak with an unstoppable effort was Axel Valle in the central midfield. Valle generated much of the offensive push for Menlo and even fired two shots towards the net. There were moments of greatness today from Menlo's squad today but the match fell in favor of the Bobcats.
History Was Made in 2023
The completion of the 2023 season comes with a lot to celebrate. The Oaks were undefeated the entire regular season to earn the GSAC regular season title and the #1 seed in the Conference Championship tournament which was hosted at Menlo College. Along the way they were either receiving votes or in the top 24 ranked teams in the NAIA for the entire duration. At the culmination of the regular season, Menlo received 4 All-GSAC awards given to Dennis Vannin, Jo Krumsvik, David Stuber, and Levin Ledergerber. The Oaks also swept in special Conference awards like: Player of the Year, Jo Krumsvik, Freshman of the Year, Roy Rosenberg, and Coach of the Year, Keith Lambert. Menlo was then on a plane to Miami, Florida to compete in the NAIA Championship Tournament as an At-Large bid for the program's third appearance in a national setting. The Oaks made history in the first round against College of Idaho to win their first National victory by a score of 2-1. This 2023 squad will be known as the team that made it the farthest in the postseason program history. Keith Lambert has been with the Men's team for 7 seasons now and can walk away celebrating all of the astounding achievements the team has earned! Menlo has a lot to look forward to as they continue to transition into the NCAA DII PacWest Conference!
