ST. LOUIS—[BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist men's soccer earned a spot in the American Midwest Conference semifinals with a 1-0 win over Lindenwood-Belleville on Saturday afternoon. In a game that featured six yellow cards and one red, the Spartans grinded out the victory over their crosstown rivals on a cold, rainy day at Spartan Field.
 
One week removed from their last meeting, a 1-1 draw, MBU and LUB matched each other step for step again on Saturday. The Spartans had the first chance of the game when Cullen Barr was denied in the 10^th minute. The Lynx managed three shots on goal in the first half but didn't trouble MBU keeper Davide Bucarelli. At the other end, the home side fired four on goal.
 
The deadlock was finally broken midway through the second half. Lindenwood-Belleville committed a turnover in their own half and MBU's Brandon Boos came up with possession. The Michigan native sent a through ball into space for Cullen Barr. The freshman was able to run onto it and beat Lynx keeper Alex Shahroki with a powerful strike. Barr's team-leading seventh goal of the year gave Missouri Baptist a 1-0 lead.
 
The Lynx put everything they could toward the Spartan goal in the last 20 minutes but they failed to solve Davide Bucarelli. The sophomore made one of the saves of the year in the 75^th minute off a head ball from LUB's Renan Pereira. Bucarelli's acrobatic, diving stop preserved the clean sheet. MBU would hold on for the victory to advance to Tuesday's semifinals.
 
"We changed a few things after last Saturday's match and the boys executed to perfection," noted MBU Head Coach Jake Alvernia. "We had four or five good chances that we missed and you always consider how that might hurt you. To the boys' credit, they fought through it and won a hard game."
 
Davide Bucarelli registered seven saves and set a new MBU single season record with his ninth clean sheet. The previous mark of eight was set by Brian Cross in the 1998 season. The performance earned him 'Man of the Match' honors.
 
The (3) Spartans will now travel to Fulton, Mo. on Tuesday for a semifinal meeting with William Woods. The (2) Owls eliminated (7) Park on Saturday by a score of 3-0. It will be the second consecutive season the two teams have met in postseason play. Last season, William Woods held a 3-0 halftime lead in the quarterfinals before Missouri Baptist stormed back to win 4-3.
 
Kickoff on Tuesday is tentatively scheduled for 6 pm. The live broadcast can be seen on the AMC Sports Network.