HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — CJ Brushwood (So., Gresham, Ore.) scored twice in overtime for the difference as Missouri Valley Division Champion/No. 16-ranked McKendree University outlasted Rocky Mountain Division Champion/No. 6 the University of Colorado 12-10 in overtime to claim a spot in the 2021 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship Fifth Place game at Huntsville Aquatics Center.
The Bearcats will wrap-up their participation at the championship event on Sunday, November 14, at 10:15 a.m. versus the winner of a consolation game pitting Mid-Atlantic Division Champion the University of Pennsylvania and Southwest Division runner-up/No. 12 the University of Southern California.
Overall, McKendree is guaranteed to earn its highest finish in the history of the program at the National Collegiate Club Championship as the squad previously took Eighth Place in 2016.
Colorado will take on the loser of the Penn-USC consolation game at 9:00 a.m. in the Seventh Place game.
- In a back-and-forth game in which neither team led by more than two goals until McKendree acquired a 12-9 margin with 31 seconds left in the second three-minute overtime period, the Bearcats held their own against the Buffaloes to earn a shot at a Top Five finish.
- Tied at two-all at the end of the first quarter, McKendree pulled ahead to take a 7-5 lead by halftime. However, Colorado rallied back with a 3-1 scoring outburst in the third quarter to square the teams at eight-all through 21 minutes of competition.
- Neither team managed much offense in the fourth quarter as a strike by Thomas (TJ) Joubert (Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa) with 6:32 on the clock pushed McKendree ahead at 9-8. Colorado responded in short order as Reid Schioldager (Jr., Orinda, Calif.) delivered an equalizer 25 seconds later.
- Both teams failed to add to their offensive output in regulation as the teams entered overtime.
- In the first OT period, Luke Schmidt (Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) gave McKendree a 10-9 lead with 1:16 left in the three-minute frame.
- The Bearcats added to their scoreboard advantage in the second three-minute OT period as Brushwood put away shots at 2:33 and 31 seconds to stake McKendree to an insurmountable 12-9 lead. Jackson Williams (So., Huntington Beach, Calif.) chipped one score off the final margin of victory by lining in a shot with three seconds left.
- For McKendree, Joubert finished with a game-high five goals. Connor Pulido (Jr., Chicago Ridge, Ill.), Jacob Castillo (Jr., Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Brushwood tacked on pairs, while Schmidt contributed one score.
- Benjamin Budic (So., San Diego, Calif.) and Schioldager both netted hat-tricks for Colorado in the loss. Sebastian Vargas (So., Los Altos, Calif.) notched a pair, while Williams and Luke VandenBerghe (Fr., Lafayette, Calif.) put away solo strikes.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| McKendree University |
2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 12 |
| University of Colorado | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | – | 10 |
| Colorado Goals: | Benjamin Budic (3); Reid Schiodager (3); Sebastian Vargas (2); Jackson Williams; Luke VandenBerghe | |||||||
| McKendree Goals: | TJ Joubert (5); Connor Pulido (2); Jacob Castillo (2); CJ Brushwood (2); Luke Schmidt | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Colorado – 13 ; McKendree – 11 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Colorado – -for-11 ; McKendree – -for-13 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Colorado – 1-for-6 (2nd) ; McKendree – 5-for-6 (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – McKendree (Head coach Candice Vorbeck, 1:50 left in 3rd Q) | |||||||
| Officials: | Brandon Nicholson; Victor Rarau | |||||||
University of Colorado’s Benjamin Budic (#13) attempts to block a shot versus McKendree University’s Connor Pulido (#11)
University of Colorado’s Louis Maximilian House (#8)
