ATLANTA—Daniel Amah headed in a spectacular goal to help give the Oglethorpe men's soccer program a 1-0 win over Berry, and the Stormy Petrels secured the 2023 Southern Athletic Association regular season title. It continued a dominating theme for Oglethorpe in recent years as it was the team's sixth regular season title in the last eight years.

The title-deciding goal for the Petrels came in the 32nd minute. Ben Alram made a great cross to Amah as he headed the ball into the back of the net. It was Amah's second goal of the season and Alram's seventh assist of the season. The electrifying attackers for Jon Akin's side were causing Berry problems all night. It was a dominating performance as Oglethorpe kept Berry from finding any rhythm in the match.

Amah, Luke Ferrari, and Carlos Cavallaro played crucial roles in the team's success by being a strong defensive unit. Nicolas Mejia was able to record his 10th clean sheet of the season to add to his individual record. Meanwhile, the team's 10th clean sheet added to the team record. Both were testaments to Mejia and the players in front of him who did well by not allowing Berry to have any shots.

After Rhodes defeated Hendrix before Oglethorpe's match, the team knew that they had to get a win against Berry if they wanted to win the league title. They unsurprisingly stepped up to the challenge and delivered in what was a high-stakes matchup.

The coaching staff will be proud of the team's strong finish to a remarkable regular season. Winning the league title was a true testament to the men's program. They showed throughout the regular season that they are a talented and fierce team capable of beating anyone. However, business is not done for Oglethorpe as the campaign for the SAA tournament begins. It is certain that no one will want to face the men in black and yellow. 

Match Facts

• This was Oglethorpe's seventh conference regular season title. Six have come in the last eight years during Oglethorpe's SAA era. The first came in 2011 in the Petrels' last year in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
• The men have now won 10 total titles in the last 13 years. This includes seven regular season titles and three postseason titles.
• The Petrels finished the SAA regular season in first place and will be the top seed in the SAA tournament with home field advantage throughout. Their overall record during the regular season was 11-2-2. 
• Alram had an incredible regular season with nine goals and seven assists.  

Up Next

Oglethorpe hosts Millsaps on Saturday, Oct. 28, in the first round of the SAA tournament in a matchup between the 1 and 8 seeds. The time of the match will be determined in the upcoming week. 

Oglethorpe topped Millsaps 4-0 in the regular season meeting two weeks ago. A win over the Majors and the Stormy Petrels would host the semifinals and finals on Friday, Nov. 3, and Sunday, Nov. 5.