Delgado, Gebrekiros Named to Big South Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
November 17, 2019 | Men's Soccer
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Following the conclusion of today's Big South men's soccer championship in Buies Creek, N.C., the Big South Conference announced that Gardner-Webb's Alain Delgado and Abel Gebrekiros were selected to the All-Tournament team.
Delgado (Kristiansand, Norway / Kristiansand Katedralskole Gimle) helped Gardner-Webb defeat the Radford Highlanders, 2-1, in the Big South quarterfinals. Delgado made what many would consider the most important save of the evening.
In the 60th minute, Radford erased the Runnin' Bulldogs' thoughts of a shutout, pulling within a goal. Delgado, who had anchored the Gardner-Webb back line for the match, had to exit in the 72nd minute due to blood on the jersey but would return five minutes later.
In the 85th minute, Delgado had been on the pitch for eight minutes, and Radford controlled the ball in its attacking third. Victor Valls fired a shot towards the net, and it was headed for the near post, but Delgaod slid and extended his right leg to knock the ball away from the net and preserve the 2-1 lead for the 'Dogs. Gardner-Webb held on over the remaining five minutes to advance to the semifinals against No. 2 High Point
Gebrekiros (Austin, Min. / Austin HS) entered the semifinal match at High Point with two goals to his credit. By the 47th minute of play, he had doubled that total to four goals, each of which were equalizers.
High Point initially took the lead in the 11th minute, and less than 20 minutes later Gebrekiros equalized. The Austin, Minn. Product rebounded a shot by Pedro Benito that deflected off the leg of the Panthers' keeper, Keegan Meyer, and sent the ball into the net from point-blank range.
The tie lasted just 57 seconds, as Ilias Kosmidis put High Point back in front. High Point maintained a 2-1 lead until the 47th minute when Gebrekiros scored his fourth and final goal of the year, equalizing once again.
Ultimately, the Panthers would score in the 75th minute to eliminate the 'Dogs from tournament play. Gardner-Webb finished the 2019 season with a 9-8-2 overall record.
For the latest on the Gardner-Webb men's soccer team, visit gwusports.com or follow @GWUsoccer on social media.
