SUPERIOR, Wis.: It's become a rite of November – when the dust settles on the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference men's soccer season, you'll find the Yellowjackets and their Twin Ports rival St. Scholastica meeting for the conference title.
 
Saturday afternoon marked the fifth straight year the two teams met for the conference championship, and once again it was the Yellowjackets who earned the right to raise a banner.
 
The Yellowjackets scored three times in the match's second half, including a pair of goals from Miguel Ocampo (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park) to defeat the Saints 4-2 on a blustery day at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.

With the win, the Yellowjackets (16-3-2) won their third straight UMAC playoff championship, but more importantly punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, courtesy of the UMAC's automatic qualifier. The win also stretched the Yellowjackets' unbeaten streak against the Saints to six matches.
 
It was back and forth in the early going, with the Yellowjackets controlling the play and holding a major territorial advantage. Just shy of the half's midway mark, Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka), the 2019 UMAC Playoff Most Valuable Player, got the Yellowjackets on the board. Perry carried the ball down the left wing, and noticing the Saints goalkeeper was off his line, lofted a shot over the head of Corey Bulheller for his 14th goal of the year, making it 1-0 in the 21^st minute.
 
The Saints answered before the end of the half when Malcolm Lumsden put a shot past Dalton VonKaenel (Eagan, Minn./Eagan) in the 39th minute to even the score. Lumsden's shot was the first shot on goal of the match for the Saints.
 
As the second half unfolded the Yellowjackets found their footing once again and carried the play early. They got a fortunate bounce in the 58th minute when a shot from the right side was headed by a Saints player into his own goal to put the home team back in front. But as quickly as the lead appeared, it evaporated. Just 38 seconds after the own goal the Saints again drew even when Ken Pryde scored from the right side of the box to make it 2-2.
 
The Yellowjackets took the lead for good in the 62nd minute when Ocampo scored his first of the match and seventh of the year to make it 3-2. Ocampo then gave the Yellowjackets some breathing room in the 77th minute, picking up his second of the match to make the final score 4-2.
 
Ocampo finished the day with two goals and an assist, while Perry had a goal and an assist.
 
VonKaenel went the distance in goal for the Yellowjackets, finishing the day with one save. The Yellowjackets outshot St. Scholastica 12-3 in the match.
 
The NCAA will hold its NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament selection show Monday, and that is when the Yellowjackets will find out which regional they will be placed in and who their first round tournament opponent will be. Stay tuned to www.uwsyellowjackets.com for all of your Yellowjacket men's soccer NCAA tournament information.