The Snow College men's soccer team clinched a berth into the Region 18 Conference Tournament Title game after defeating Utah State University Eastern 3-1 in the first round Thursday.  
 
It was the second victory over the No. 2 seeded Eagles in as many matches after the Badgers defeated USUE in the final matchup of the regular season Oct. 20.  Snow College entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season with a 10-4 overall record and an 8-3 mark within Scenic West Athletic Conference play.
 
The Badgers wasted no time taking an early lead.  They scored two goals within the first 16 minutes of action.  Oliver Fehintola got the scoring started in the 15^th minute.  He headed a corner kick into the far-right side of the goal to give Snow College an early 1-0 edge.
 
The Badgers struck again only moments later as Zachary Lifferth led a breakaway down the pitch.  A critical takeaway near midfield set up a three-on-two.  Lifferth needed no help, however, as he weaved from left to right, and shot the ball between two defenders which was perfectly placed in the top right corner of the goal giving the Badgers a 2-0 lead, which they would take into halftime.   
 
The Eagles would waste no time cutting the Badger lead in half to begin the second period.  USUE's Kevin Jones scored in the fifth minute to bring the score to 2-1.  
 
Snow College punched back in the 78^th minute as Lifferth put in his second goal of the contest.  Fehintola provided the assist as he lost his defender in the 18-yard box and pushed toward the end line.  He centered a pass to Lifferth who booted it past the keeper while sliding to the ground to give the Badgers an insurance goal.  
 
Snow College's defense would hold over the remaining 13 minutes and they would defeat the Eagles 3-1 to earn a spot in the Region 18 Championship Match.
 
The Badger's defense was suburb throughout the match allowing just one goal on seven shots.  What's more, they only allowed one shot on goal for the entire match.  
 
Snow College will now face off against the top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Salt Lake Community College Bruins in the championship match.  The Bruins have not lost a match all season.  They finished in a 1-1 draw with USUE in their final match of the season but defeated the College of Southern Nevada in the opening round of the tournament.  
 
The match will take place Saturday at 2:00 p.m. inside Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.