LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Trinity University hosts the 2012 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer championship tournament, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 2-4 at Paul McGinlay Field on the campus of Trinity University. Official Tournament Website
Trinity (No. 3 NSCAA/ No. 3 D3soccer.com) comes into the SCAC tournament as the event's top seed. As the No. 1 seed the Tigers (16-0-3, 8-0-2 SCAC) drew a bye into the semifinals and will await the winner of the Austin College/University of Dallas match.
Trinity's streak of nine straigth SCAC championships was snapped at last year's conference tournament and the Tigers have put themselves in good position to win their 10th conference title in the last 11 years by entering the tournament with an 8-0-2 record in their last 10 games. The Tigers rank first or second in the SCAC in a number of statistical categories including goals/game (3.16 - first), assists/game (2.68 - first), points/game (9.00 - first), shots/game (25.21 - first)
Individually, junior midfielder Yuri Ribeiro leads the Trinity
attack. Ribeiro, a two-time SCAC Offensive Player of the Week
honoree this season, enters the tournament among the league leaders
in many offensive statistics including points (37 - second),
points/game (1.95 - second), goals (14 - tied second), goals/game
(0.74 - second), assists (nine - second) and assists per game (0.47
- second). Defensively the Tigers are perhaps just as stout.
Trinity ranks second in both goals allowed/game (0.58) and goals
against average (0.56 ) while sophomore goalkeeper Matt Cardone led
the SCAC with eight shutouts during the season.
Paul McGinlay Interview
Colorado College (13-4-2, 6-2-2 SCAC) earned the No. 2 seed and looks for its first ever SCAC championship. Colorado College earned a bye into the semifinals and awaits the winner of the Southwestern University/Centenary College match.
Offensively, the Tigers are led by by All-American Matt Fechter. Fecther was a two-time Offensive Player of the Week selection in 2012 and is a real threat to find the back of the net. He led the SCAC in goals (16), assists, (13), points (45) and game-winning goals (five) during the regular season. With four more goals, Fechter would join the top-10 list in career goals in SCAC history.
While Fechter stands out offensively, the Colorado College defense is arguably the best facet of the Tigers' game. Colorado College (Receiving votes in D3soccer.com poll) allowed a league best five goals in conference play and boasts a minuscule 0.54 goals against average (tops in the league). The Tigers posted 11 shutouts (one 0-0 tie) in their 19 games this season. Horst Richardson Interview
Southwestern University (12-7-1, 5-4-1 SCAC) enters its second SCAC tournament as the No. 3 seed and will meet Centenary in the second quarterfinal on Friday. The Pirates enter the tournament with a 4-0-2 record in their last six games and will be looking for their first SCAC men's soccer championship.
Senior forward Evan Perkins figures to pace the Southwestern attack. The two-time SCAC Offensive Player of the Week selection ranks among the league leaders in goals (14 - tied second), assists (eight - tied third), points (36 - third) and shots (88 - second).
The Pirate defense is in the capable hands of junior goalkeeper
Daniel Poole (Week 7 SCAC Defensive Player of the Week). Poole
tallied six shutouts to rank second in the SCAC while also ranking
among the SCAC leaders in saves (98 - third), save percentage (.778
- fourth) and goals against average (1.57 - fourth).
Don Gregory Interview
Austin College (8-8-2, 4-6-0 SCAC) enters the 2012 SCAC tournament as the No. 4 seed and will play Dallas in Friday's first quarterfinal match. The Kangaroos come to the tournament with a 3-7-0 record in their last 10 games but have won two of their last three games.
Austin College wil be led by midfielder Guillermo Allande, sophomore forward Caleb Sherer and senior midfielder Andy Johnson. The trio were the three leading scoreres for the Kangaroos as they combined for 44 of Austin College's 80 points during the seaosn.
Sherer totaled seven goals and seven assists (21 points) while Allande tallied six goals and one assist (13 points) and Johnson totaled 10 points on five goals. Mark Hudson Interview
The University of Dallas (5-9-2, 2-7-1 SCAC) will be competing in its first ever SCAC tournament. The Crusaders enter the championsip as the No. 5 seed and will play Austin College in the first quarterfinal on Friday.
Look for sophomore midfielder Matthew Wise and sophomore midfielder Juan Hernadez-Reyes to pace the Crusader attack. Wise (four goals) and Hernandez-Reyes (three goals & two assists) tied for the team lead with eight points apiece. Defensively, Dallas will rely on senior goalkeeper James Kerin. Kerin posted the third best goals against average (1.20) in the SCAC this season while also tallying the third best save percentage (.818) in the league. David Hoffmann Interview
Centenary College (6-12-0, 2-8-0 SCAC) enters its first ever SCAC tournament as the No. 6 seed. However, the Gents come into the championship perhaps as the hottest team in the league. Centenary has won four straight games, highlighted by their 1-0 upset of then 22nd-ranked Colorado College. During their four game winning streak, three of the Gents' four wins have come via shutouts.
Senior midfielder Adam Ghaemmaghami and senior forward Spencer Nickerson look to lead the Gents' offense. The senior duo each scored five goals while combining for 23 points during the regular season.
Defensively, Centenary will
count on senior goalkeeper Robbie Ramirez (Week 9 SCAC Defensive
Player of the Week) to carry the load. Ramirez carries a .746 save
percentage while posting a 2.12 goals against average. David Orr Interview
This weekend's event marks the second time the SCAC tournament
will be contested at Trinity and the first time since 1991.
Admission is free for all five games (See schedule below). Live video streaming and live stats will be available
for all five games.
Friday's first quarterfinal begins at 5 p.m. (local time), and the
championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. The tournament
champion earns the league's automatic NCAA berth.
| Friday, Nov. 2 | |||
| 5 p.m. | Game 1 | #4 Austin College vs. #5 University of Dallas | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 2 | #3 Southwestern University vs. #6 Centenary College | |
| Saturday, Nov. 3 | |
||
| 5 p.m. | Game 3 | #1 Trinity University vs. Winner Game 1 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 4 | #2 Colorado College vs. Winner Game 2 | |
| Sunday, Nov. 4 | |||
| 1 p.m. | Championship | Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner |
