Wednesday, December 4, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. – After capturing its fourth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, Simon Fraser’s men’s soccer team is back in the Division II Final Four following a debut appearance in the NCAA semifinals in 2012. The Clan took a tough loss to Saginaw Valley State last season that left them disappointed just two wins away from an historic NCAA title.

So far in 2013, SFU has proved that it may be even better than last season, having already broken its own GNAC record for goals in a season with 75 this year. With the Clan being the lone Final Four team to repeat in the tournament from last season, SFU holds momentum and confidence heading into Thursday’s match against Carson-Newman.

Both semifinal matches will take place on Thursday at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga. Southern New Hampshire University will square off against Rockhurst University at 2 p.m. Pacific time, with Simon Fraser taking on Carson-Newman at 5 p.m. Pacific in the late game.

Check out the ‘related links’ section of this article for live coverage and tournament information.

TEAM CAPSULES

No. 12 Simon Fraser University (British Columbia)
Record: 17-2-2
Conference (record, place): Great Northwest Athletic Conference (11-2-1, 1st)
Road to the Final Four: Rnd. 1 – def. Cal Baptist 5-0…Rnd. 2 – def. Cal State L.A. 2-1…Rnd. 3 – tied UC San Diego 1-1 (won PKs 4-3)…Rnd. 4 – def. Regis 5-0.
Coach: Alan Koch, 6th season
Offensive standouts: Colin Jacques, F, So., 10 goals, 9 assists…Chris Bargholz, M, Jr., 4 goals, 6 assists.
Defensive standouts: Alex Rowley, M, So., 19 starts…Magnus Kristensen, D, Fr., 22 starts.
Final Four history: 2012 – National Semifinalist.

Simon Fraser returns to the Final Four with a youthful roster that has proven to be one of the most potent offenses across Division II. The Clan are anchored up the middle by GNAC Player of the Year Chris Bargholz, GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Alex Rowley and GNAC Freshman of the Year Magnus Kristensen. Ten goals apiece from Colin Jacques and Jovan Blagojevic topped a roster that boasted 18 different goal scorers and was the No. 1 team in scoring offense (3.41), total goals (75) and total points (205) in all of Division II. SFU has won four straight GNAC titles and is in search of its first-ever NCAA championship, after becoming the first Canadian school to join Division II in 2010 and becoming championship-eligible last season.

Carson-Newman University (Tenn.)
Record: 15-5-1
Conference (record, place): South Atlantic Conference (8-3-0, 3rd)
Road to the Final Four: Rnd. 1 – def. Anderson 3-2…Rnd. 2 – def. Limestone 3-1…Rnd. 3 – tied Lander 0-0 (won PKs 3-2) Rnd. 4 – def. Rollins 2-1.
Coach: Richard Moodie, 3rd season
Offensive standouts: Ross Frame, F, Jr., 18 goals, 10 assists…Sindre Welo, M, So., 6 goals, 7 assists.
Defensive standouts: Rumwald Le Guevel, GK, Sr., 1.11 GAA, 5 shutouts…Matheus Bachi, D, Sr., 21 starts.
Final Four history: None. 

Making its first Final Four appearance under third-year coach Richard Moodie, Carson-Newman has earned its way into the tournament by taking down two No. 1 seeds along the way. The Eagles defeated Limestone 3-1 in the second round of the playoffs, and beat No. 1 overall seed and host Rollins 2-1 in the Southeast Finals. Carson-Newman is led by SAC Player of the Year Ross Frame, whose 18 goals rank seventh across Division II this season. Midfielder Sindre Welo and goalkeeper Rumwald Le Guevel were also first-team All-SAC selections, and a trio of Eagle defenders earned honorable mention all-conference honors. 

No. 1 Southern New Hampshire University (N.H.)
Record: 20-1-1
Conference (record, place) Northeast-10 Conference (13-0-0, 1st)
Road to the Final Four: Rnd. 1 – bye…Rnd. 2 – def. Wilmington 3-0…Rnd. 3 – def. LIU Post 3-1…Rnd. 4 – tied Mercyhurst (won PKs 5-4).
Coach: Marc Hubbard, 6th season
Offensive standouts: Pierre Omanga, F, Sr., 20 goals, 3 assists…Christian Rodriguez, M, Sr., 5 goals, 3 assists.
Defensive standouts: Dom DiMaggio, GK, Sr., 0.38 GAA, 8 shutouts…Dominic Samuel, D, So., 21 starts, 3 goals.
Final Four history: None.

Pierre Omanga’s 20 goals rank fourth amongst Division II competition as the Penmen rode the senior’s skills into their first-ever Final Four. Southern New Hampshire cleaned up during Northeast-10 Conference play, with a perfect 13-0-0 as it was ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA poll heading into the postseason. After a first-round bye, SNHU beat Wilmington and LIU Post comfortably, before prevailing in a dramatic penalty kick shootout in the finals of the East Region quarterfinals over Mercyhurst. Goalkeeper Dom DiMaggio’s 0.38 goals-against average ranks No. 2 in the NCAA, and the Penmen outscored opponents 57-9 this season.

No. 14 Rockhurst University (Missouri)
Record: 17-3-3
Conference (record, place): Great Lakes Valley Conference (11-2-2, 4th)
Road to the Final Four: Rnd. 1 – bye…Rnd. 2 – tied Tiffin 1-1 (won PKs 8-7)…Rnd. 3 – def. Lewis 2-0…Rnd. 4 – def. Lindenwood 1-0.
Coach: Dr. Anthony Tocco, 43rd season
Offensive standouts: Mark Magee, F, Sr., 15 goals, 6 assists…Paolo Scoppola, M, Sr., 3 goals, 6 assists.
Defensive standouts: Ryan Bass, GK, Sr., 0.51 GAA, 13 shutouts…Jon Schreiber, D, Sr., 23 starts, 5 goals.
Final Four history: None. 

With 618 career victories, Rockhurst head coach Anthony Tocco ranks second all-time amongst collegiate head coaches after commanding the Hawks’ program for the past four decades. Tocco’s experience, combined with the senior leadership of Mark Magee offensively and Ryan Bass in goal have Rockhurst in its first-ever Final Four. Bass’ 0.51 goals-against average ranks third in the nation, and Rockhurst has outscored opponents 45-12 this season. Other key figures include midfielder Paolo Scoppola and Jon Schreiber, who joined Magee and Bass on the All-GLVC teams. Rockhurst endured a marathon penalty-kick shootout against Tiffin in its first match of the playoffs, emerging the victor in 8-7 fashion. Since then, the Hawks beat Lewis, and Lindenwood to reach the NCAA semifinals.