LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - The Mount Mercy men's soccer team defeated Georgia Gwinnett, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Association of Independent Institutions tournament Thursday and earned an automatic spot in the NAIA national tournament.

Mount Mercy will face Ashford in the AII finals Saturday at the Grizzly Soccer Complex, with both teams advancing to the national meet.

Marco Fichtner scored in the 69th minute Thursday to snap a scoreless tie with an assist from Haris Hadzalic. It was Fichtner's 15th goal of the season.

Tomas Zajfert pitched a shutout in goal for the Mustangs.

Mount Mercy raised its record to 15-4, tying the school record for victories. The Mustangs will be making their second trip to the NAIA national tournament in school history.