SUPERIOR, Wis. – Since moving to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in 2015, the men's soccer post-season has kind of been the Yellowjackets' domain. One needs to look no further than the following statistic – there have been eight UMAC men's soccer championship matches during that time, and the Yellowjackets have been part of all of them, winning the last six.
 
Wednesday the Yellowjackets opened the 2023 UMAC tournament hosting Northwestern, with a trip to the UMAC title match on the line. And from the get-go, the Yellowjackets flexed their muscles and let it be known they had every intention of advancing to their ninth straight championship.
 
The Yellowjackets outshot Northwestern 24-1 in the match, including an advantage of 12-1 in shots on goal, and rolled past the Eagles in the UMAC semifinals 6-0 Wednesday at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
 
With the win the Yellowjackets (16-3-2, 13-1-0 UMAC) will now take a five-match winning streak into Saturday conference title tilt with Bethany Lutheran.
 
The Yellowjackets came out buzzing Wednesday, and didn't take long to jump in front in the match. Freddy Watson (Wendover, England/Berkshire College of Agriculture), who played one of his strongest matches of the 2023 season, got the scoring started just over seven minutes into the match, sending a shot into the upper corner of the goal to make it 1-0. Watson's fifth of the year came unassisted.
 
Late in the half the Yellowjackets extended the lead, with the goal coming off a set piece. In the 42nd minute Karsten Kletti (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake Area) scored his second goal of the year, directing a laser into the goal from about 45 yards out to make it 2-0.
 
After halftime the Yellowjackets got a break, and used the good fortune to dial up the offense and put the Eagles away.
 
Northwestern's Troy Johnson was assessed his second yellow card of the match in the 52nd minute, which turned into an automatic red card, meaning he was done for the evening and the Eagles would have to finish the match a man down. From there, it was all Yellowjackets.
 
Just seconds after the card, the Yellowjackets put another goal on the board. Felipe Oliveira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Soma) started the play, making a brilliant feed to Josh Bellamy (High Wycombe, England/FAB Football Academy), and the junior made no mistake, beating Northwestern goalkeeper Kyle Dipzinski for his ninth of the year to make it 3-0 in the 52nd minute.
 
Less than two minutes later the Yellowjackets delivered the knockout punch. This time it was Nicolai Stokker (Klokkarstua, Norway/St. Hallvard) doing the damage, scoring his fifth of the year just 1:45 after Bellamy's goal, to make it a 4-0 match. Watson was credited with the assist.

In the 63rd minute the Yellowjackets made it 5-0. Bellamy made the feed to Jake Kidd (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), and the Yellowjackets' leading goal scorer played the ball before it hit the turf and lifted it past Dipzinski for his 13th marker of the year.
 
Kidd's goal also triggered the 5 Goal Free For All, meaning everyone in attendance got themselves a coupon for a free scoop of custard from Culver's in Superior.
 
The Yellowjackets closed out the scoring in the 73rd minute. Phillip Eriksen (Skjetten, Norway/Lorenskog), who had a difficult start to the 2023 season, found the back of the net for his seventh goal of the year, making the final margin 6-0 for the Yellowjackets. Joel Thomas (Cardiff, Wales/Islwyn) was credited with the assist.
 
For Eriksen, it was his sixth goal in the last five matches.
 
Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) got the start in goal for the Yellowjackets Wednesday and posted the shutout, moving his record to 13-3-2 for the season. It was the eighth clean sheet of the season and 17th in his career.
 
The Yellowjackets now advance to the UMAC championship match, which they will host Saturday, Nov. 4. They will take on Bethany Lutheran, in a battle of the top two finishers in the UMAC in 2023. The opening kickoff time from the NBC Spartan Sports Complex to be determined.