Tweet #theGAC  BETHANY, Okla. — A whirlwind of emotions circled Bethany, Oklahoma on Friday night as Southern Nazarene openeed it GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Championship run by defeating Northeastern State, 1-0, in overtime.

The top-seeded Storm (11-5-3, 8-2-2) and fourth-seed RiverHawks (9-6-3, 6-4-2) faced off in their third matchup of the season and produced a classic postseason match. Last season, Northeastern State, again as the No. 1 seed, stung top-seeded SNU, 3-0, in the same semifinal round . A year later, the Storm returned the favor and fought through windy conditions and a scoreless 90 minutes to power through the RiverHawks with one overtime goal that sealed the victory.

The windy conditions in Bethany made it difficult for either team to gain any offensive momentum. Both squads traded shots the entirety of regulation, but no ball would find the back of the net. The Storm fired a couple of shots just shy of the goal and kept the RiverHawks on high alert the entire match. With no score to following the regulation 90 minutes, both teams entered 20 minutes of overtime to play.

The first 10 minutes of overtime featured tough defenses by both teams. SNU finally turned up the offense in the 98th minute as Bruno Ferreira found Juan Rodarte in the gap for a Storm goal and a 1-0 advantage. Northeastern could not answer with the two minutes remaining and SNU carried a one-goal lead with one more overtime to play.

SNU defended its lead over the final next 10 minutes as Northeastern struggled to get anything going on the offensive end. The Storm's backline, led by Alvaro Sanchez and Eric Romero, kept the Riverhawks away from goal territory. Unaiz Shajani picked up speed late in the second overtime and fired two shots, looking to extend SNU's lead . The RiverHawks ran out of time and Southern Nazarene claimed the semifinals victory.

Southern Nazarene finished with six total shots on goal out of 12 total shots. SNU keeper Michele Barletta defended the goal, as he tallied two saves in the match.

With the win, the Storm move on to the GAC/MIAA Championship match against No. 2 Rogers State. The Hillcats defeated No. 3 Fort Hays State, 2-1, earlier on Thursday. SNU's victory, their first-ever GAC tournament win, gave Trevor Harmon and his squad their first championship game appearance. SNU will take on Rodgers State Sunday, at 1 p.m.