RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Sophomore Justin Johnson scored in the 79th minute to send the MSOE men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Dominican in the 2014 NACC Championship game Saturday afternoon at West Campus Field.

The No. 2 Raiders (17-4) defeated the top-seeded Stars (14-5-2) for the first time and clinched the program's first bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The pairings for the national tournament will be announced Monday at 12:30 p.m.

After playing on their heels a bit in the first half, MSOE regrouped at halftime and seized control of the match leading up to its lone score.

With just over 11 minutes remaining in regulation, freshman Braden Andryk sent a corner kick to the near post. Johnson beat the keeper to the ball and headed the cross into the net for his first collegiate goal.

Following the score, the Raider defense took over to preserve the advantage and play out the victory.

Senior Garrett Farin anchored the defense in goal, which collected its 10th shutout of the season. He teamed with the back line of Johnson, juniors Michael Skow and Daniel Frey, as well as freshman Mikey Perez to limit Dominican's chances. The Raiders did well to snuff out most chances before they materialized.

The Stars best opportunity came early in the first half, when they used an elaborately choreographed  set piece to threaten the goal. Fortunately for MSOE, the shot clanged off the cross bar and was cleared to safety. The home team would touch the frame again, sending a late header skipping off the top and out of play.

As the final horn sounded, the MSOE bench flooded the field to celebrate the latest in program milestones this season. The Raiders and Stars had tied for the regular season title, MSOE's first since 1986, while Saturday's victory extended a school record for wins in a season, which had been established when the '86 team won 15 games.

The Raiders held a slight 9-8 shot advantage, but there was just one shot on goal in the match—Johnson's goal.