GALESBURG, Ill. – What a splash into the postseason it was Cornell's men's soccer team Friday afternoon at VanDyke Field.
 
The No. 2 seed Rams struck twice in the opening three minutes, and were well on their way to a 3-1 victory over Grinnell in the semifinals of the Midwest Conference Tournament.
 
Cornell (15-3 overall) established a school record for most wins in a season and claimed the program's first postseason victory since 2001, when the Rams were members of the Iowa Conference. The Rams are now one win away from their first conference title since 1982 and a first-ever NCAA berth. 
 
The Rams earned a spot in Saturday's championship match against top-seeded host Knox (11-6) at 2 p.m. at Jorge Prats Field. Saturday's champion earns the MWC's automatic berth to next week's NCAA Division III Tournament.     
 
Knox advanced with a 3-0 semifinal win over Lawrence. Cornell's lone MWC loss this season came against Knox, 2-1, on Oct. 20 in Mount Vernon.
 
Senior captain Justin Howe started Cornell's early offensive flurry with an unassisted goal only 2:53 into the match. The Rams fired again just 25 seconds later as George Archer converted a shot from Galen Westervelt, quickly putting Cornell ahead 2-0.
 
Archer netted his second goal of the day – and 12th of the season – on an unassisted play at the 58-mark, stretching the margin to 3-0.
 
Despite being outshot 13-7 for the match, Cornell's defense was up to the task in holding the Pioneers to a single goal with 17 seconds left in regulation. Grinnell had 11 corner kick chances, to Cornell's two.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Will Bickel had another fine match in goal, collecting eight saves in 90 minutes of work. Five of Bickel's stops came after intermission.
 
Archer led Cornell's attack with three shots. Zach Miller had two attempts.