TIFFIN, OH – The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's soccer team fell in the Great Midwest Championship match for the second time in as many years. The only team in the G-MAC over the past two seasons to return to the title match, the Panthers took the top seed Tiffin into double overtime, falling 2-1 with six minutes left in extra time. 
 
In the end, the Panthers were 10 minutes away from immortality as they held a 1-0 lead over the Dragons in the second half. In a typical championship match, the first period was limited to both teams testing each other without many risks. The Dragons outshot the Panthers 2-1 in the opening period with Hamish Strong recording the only shot on goal. 
 
The second half was a different story as Tiffin raced out of the gate with the first shot of the period in the first minute. Like the semifinal match, the Panthers were the first to score. A foul on Tiffin's Tate Newman gave Wesleyan a free kick. Mattie McNally was racing towards the Dragons' net when he was pushed down right outside the box. Like so many times before, the Panthers' captain, Haakon Torvbraaten, placed a perfect shot around the defense. 
 
The Tiffin wall that was covering the right side of the goal all jumped upon the strike by Torvbraaten, but the shot went under the defense and into the bottom left corner of the net. The Panthers' goal was recorded in the 57^th minute. McNally nearly made it a 2-0 lead one minute later, but his shot was saved by keeper Nick Cherry. 
 
The urgency for Tiffin was apparent the rest of the way. They continued to attack and be aggressive, firing shots at Wesleyan keeper Iver Sjavag. For the most part, the Panthers' defense and Sjavag were up to the task. Tiffin took seven shots in the next 23 minutes, but it was the eighth one that was the equalizer. 
 
Yaw Turkson found Noah Purtz from just outside the Panthers box for the score. The shot got past Sjavag and into the right corner of the net with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Sjavag made a late save to help push the contest into extra time. 
 
The Dragons took three shots in the first extra period, but the match remained tied 1-1. If there was no winner after the second period, the champion would be decided by in a shootout. However, the Dragons did not let the match get to that point as Victor Nembhard scored the game winner in the 104^th minute. A free kick sailed to the opposite side of the Panthers box, a header was nicked by a Panthers defender and up in the air for another header for Nembhard, who lofted a shot just over the outstretched hands for Sjavag. 
 
The Panthers' postseason hopes rests in the hands of the NCAA selection committee to determine if they will play more soccer this season. Wesleyan is 10-4-7, their fourth consecutive winning season. The Panthers produced the only unbeaten season at home in program history in 2025 and were picked to finish seventh and outside the G-MAC Tournament in August. 
 
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