San Antonio, TX - Messiah College men's soccer is one of four teams left standing in 2012, and they will put it all on the line this weekend at the NCAA Division III Final Four. The Falcons will look to earn the program's ninth National Championship, but they'll have to get through some stiff competition to achieve their goal.
On Friday, No. 1 Messiah will be opposed by No. 4 Loras at 11:00 a.m. CT (12:00 p.m. ET). The game is a Final Four rematch from 2008-- a Messiah victory. If history repeats itself, the Falcons will advance to the National Championship against either Ohio Northern or Williams on Saturday, Dec. 1.
See below for a look at the Final Four teams in San Antonio this weekend.
Traveling to support the Falcons? Don't miss the free BBQ Reception hosted by the Falcon Athletic Network on Friday!
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#1 Messiah College Falcons |
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Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Brad McCarty (4th season, 86-3-3 at Messiah)
2012 Record: 21-0-2, 9-0 Commonwealth Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 24th
2012 NCAA First Round: Bye
2012 NCAA Second Round: Defeated Emory University 3-0
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal: Eliminated York College (Pa.) 0-0 (4-2 PKs)
2012 NCAA Regional Final: Defeated University of Scranton 3-0
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 24th
Last NCAA Appearance: 2011 Second Round loss, 1-0 (OT) to Neumann University
Messiah's Team in National Statistics: 4th in scoring offense (3.26 gpg); 4th in total goals (75); 2nd in goals against average (0.34); 2nd in shutout percentage (0.70); 5th in total assists (66); 10th in save percentage (.860); 4th in total points (216)
Messiah's Players in National Statistics: Jeremy Payne: 21st in points (39), 25th in goals (15), 30th in assists (9). Brandon West: 2nd in goals against average (0.287), 10th in save percentage (0.875). Jack Thompson: 20th in assists (10). Brian Ramirez: 20th in assists (10).
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Scouting the Falcons: Unbeaten in 23 games this season, the Falcons earned their way into the Final Four with two convincing wins over Emory and Scranton, and one penalty kick decision over York College. In the York game, the Falcons came just inches in overtime from seeing their postseason dreams dashed, as Brandon West punctuated an eventual shootout decision with two saves.
In the Regionals weekend, Messiah's Mike Kovach (11g, 6a) scored three goals as the Falcons have now seen six different players score in the NCAA Tournament. Jeremy Payne (15g, 9a), Joshua Wood (10 g, 8a), Jack Thompson (10 g, 10a), and Kovach remain Messiah's most dangerous offensive weapons, while a strong back row operates six-players deep. Carter Robbins, Luke Helmuth, Logan Thompson, and Josh Kremers lead the Messiah defense, with West having established himself as on the most complete goalies in the game.
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#4 Loras College Duhawks |
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Location: Dubuque, IA
Coach: Dan Rothert (15th season, 220-80-15 at Loras)
2012 Record: 23-1-1, 7-0 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 8th
2012 NCAA First Round: Defeated St. Scholastica 1-0
2012 NCAA Second Round: Defeated North Park 1-0
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal: Defeated Wis.-Platteville 2-1
2012 NCAA Regional Final: Defeated Wheaton (IL) 2-1
Last NCAA Appearance: 2011 Second Round loss, 4-0 (OT) to Calvin College
Loras' Team in National Statistics: 18th in scoring offense (2.72 gpg); t-6th in total goals (68); 3rd in goals against average (0.40); 4th in shutout percentage (0.68); t-20th in assists (44); 9th in save percentage (0.861); t-8th in total points (180)
Loras' Players in National Statistics: Dylan Milkent: 27th in save percentage (0.848), 8th in goals against average (0.44).
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Scouting the Duhawks: Winners of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC), Loras has continued to be a perennial top-10 team for more than a decade. The Duhakws enter their match-up with Messiah riding a 16-game win streak, 11 of which have come by shutout. Loras moved past Wheaton College (Ill.) in the Regional Final last weekend, taking a 2-1 decision that mirrored their 2-1 win over University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the Regional Semifinal.
The Duhawks feature a balanced offensive attack, with five players having scored at least six goals, and 10 players having scored at least three times. Kevin Cavers (8g, 8a), Brad Joiner (8g, 3a), and Erik Berkowitz (8g, 1a) led the Loras attack, which looks to play a high-possession style of soccer similar to Messiah. Defensively, Loras has proven to be quite stingy, with a goal against average of 0.40 that places them 3rd in the nation.
Snapshot History of Messiah and Loras:
Messiah's Record: 1-0-0
Messiah's Goals For-Against: 3-0
Last Game Played: Messiah 3, Loras 0 (Dec. 5, 2008, NCAA National Semifinal)
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#9 Williams College Ephs |
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Location: Williamstown, MA
Coach: Mike Russo (34th season, 415-102-58 at Williams)
2012 Record: 16-1-4, 8-0-2 New England Small College Athletic Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 16th
2012 NCAA First Round: Defeated Thomas (ME) 2-1
2012 NCAA Second Round: Defeated St. Lawrence 2-1
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal: Defeated Brandeis 1-0
2012 NCAA Regional Final: Eliminated Amherst 0-0 (4-3 PKs)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2010 Second Round loss, 2-1 (2OT) to Babson College
Williams' Team in National Statistics: 9th in goals against average (0.51); t-16th in shutout percentage (0.57); 3rd in save percentage (0.884)
Williams' Players in National Statistics: Than Finan: 10th in goals against average (0.452), 5th in save percentage (0.891).
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Scouting the Ephs: This season marks the Ephs' fifth trip into the NCAA Final Four, with a National Championship earned in 1995. Head coach Mike Russo holds the most experience of any coach in this season's group, as he led his team to their 17th NCAA Tournament this season.
Williams has had a number of a close contests on their road to the Final Four, scoring just five goals overall while earning a win in overtime over St. Lawrence (Second Round) and a 4-3 penalty kick decision over Amherst (Regional Final).
While certainly capable of putting the ball in the net, Williams has hung their coat defense all season. The Ephs have just three players with double-digit points—none more than Mohammad Rashid's 19 (6g, 7a)—but carry a 0.51 goals against average as a team. Than Finan holds a .891 save percentage, with the Ephs allowing just 11 goals against them all year.
Snapshot History of Messiah and Williams
Messiah's Record: 1-1-1
Messiah's Goals For-Against: 3-4
Last Game Played: Messiah 2, Williams 1 (Dec. 4, 2009, NCAA National Semifinal)
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#10 Ohio Northern University Polar Bears |
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Location: Ada, OH
Coach: Brent Ridenour (15th season, 218-89-24 with Williams)
2012 Record: 24-2, 9-0 Ohio Athletic Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 6th
2012 NCAA First Round: Defeated Thomas More 1-0
2012 NCAA Second Round: Defeated Carnegie Mellon 3-1
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal: Defeated Susquehanna 4-1
2012 NCAA Regional Final: Defeated Montclair St. 2-1
Last NCAA Appearance: 2011 Third Round loss, 3-2 to Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Northern's Team in National Statistics: 5th in scoring offense (3.15 gpg); 2nd in total goals (82); 11th in goals against average (0.56); 15th in shutout percentage (0.58); 3rd in assists (73); t-2nd in total points (237)
Ohio Northern's Players in National Statistics: Kegan Ross: 4th in points (53), 4th in goals (22), 30th in assists (9), 19th in points per game (2.04), 17 in goals per game (.85). Mac Church: 20th in goals against average (0.574). Nate Bascom: 24th in points per game (1.92), 5th in total points (50), 73rd in goals per game (.65), 15th in total goals (17), 5th in assists per game (.62), 2nd in total assists (16). Jeremy Barnes: 30th in total assists (9).
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Scouting the Polar Bears: The Polar Bears are storming into the Final Four this weekend as winners of 17-straight games—11 of which have been by shutout. Ohio Northern won the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships (OAC) to collect an AQ into the NCAA Tournament, and quickly flexed their muscles by scoring eight goals in the first three games. In their Regional Final match-up with Montclair State, Cameron Johnson scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute to help his team to a 2-1 victory.
Kegan Ross (22g, 9a) leads a potent offensive for the Polar Bears, with Nate Bascom (17g, 16a) and Johnson (12g, 8a) also scoring at least 30 points this season. As a team, they rank near the top of the nation in almost all offensive categories. Meanwhile, they've also proven to be an impressive on defense, with Mac Church holding a 0.55 goals against average for a team that's allowed just 14 goals all season.
This season marks the Polar Bears' first-ever trip into the Final Four.
The History of Messiah and Ohio Northern
Messiah's Record: n/a
Messiah's Goals For-Against: n/a
Last Game Played: n/a |
