CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- After watching his team go winless over its last three games, all of which went overtime, Amir Hadzic became the first men's soccer coach in school history to collect 100 victories when Mount Mercy defeated Waldorf, 7-1, in a Midwest Collegiate Conference match on Wednesday at Lower Kingston Field.
The fourth time was a charm for Mount Mercy, which lost once and tied twice in three tough matches since Hadzic got win No. 99 at St. Ambrose on Sept. 30. The outcome of Wednesday's match was never in doubt, as the Mustangs scored six straight goals, including four in the first half, to down the Warriors.
After freshman forward Sid Beck got the offense rolling with his fourth goal of the season in the 11th minute, freshman forward Enrique Cortina notched his team-high eighth and ninth scores less than a minute apart to make it 3-0 in the 23rd minute. Junior forward Marko Urlic converted a penalty kick five minutes later and the Mustangs took a 4-0 advantage into the break.
Freshman midfielder Vladimir Virovkic, who assisted Cortina's second goal, scored one himself three minutes into the second period and junior defender Tanner Lamb made good on another penalty kick in the 56th minute to put Mount Mercy up, 6-0. Joey Morales found the back of the net for the Warriors in the 74th minute and freshman forward Matt Rumery finished the scoring for the Mustangs in the 78th minute.
Hadzic, now in his 15th year with the Mustangs, is the program's all-time leader in coaching victories with a 100-147-21 mark as Mount Mercy's head coach. He reached the 50-win mark in 2002 and picked up his 90th victory last fall.
"I love coaching because it gives me an opportunity to make an impact in young people's lives," said Hadzic, who is also the Head Boys' Soccer Coach at Cedar Rapids Xavier High School. "Putting together a team and watching it succeed is very enjoyable. I want our team to compete for conference championships and national tournament appearances every year, but most importantly, I want to prepare these young men to be successful in life."
Mount Mercy (7-4-5, 3-1-2 MCC) is in contention for its first-ever MCC title, sitting a game-and-a-half behind league-leading Grand View (9-4-1, 5-0-1 MCC) with two regular season matches remaining. The Vikings come to town this weekend for a crucial matchup with the Mustangs on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
