THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - After placing fourth in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 2013 the Cal Lutheran men's soccer team will serve as the No. 3 seed in their second SCIAC Post Season Tournament appearance.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6 the Kingsmen will travel to Whittier to face the Poets in one of two Semifinal games. The other will feature SCIAC regular season champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps hosting Chapman.
Semifinal One - No. 3 Cal Lutheran (11-6-2) at No. 2 Whittier (11-7-1)
Whittier placed one spot ahead of Cal Lutheran in the league standings, finishing 10-5-1 while the Kingsmen produced a 9-5-2 SCIAC record in 2013. With Redlands forfeiting their right to play in the post season, Whittier jumped to the No. 2 seed and CLU earned the No. 3 spot. In the regular season the Kingsmen and Poets split their series with each team winning on their home field. WC defeated CLU 3-1 on Sept. 30 before the Kingsmen returned the favor on Oct. 26 in a 1-0 triumph.
Cal Lutheran has played strong defense all year, allowing just 13 goals for .95 goals per game behind a breakout season from sophomore goalkeeper Jack Duncan. The CLU stopper holds SCIAC-bests in save percentage (.880) and goals against average (.71) in 1643+ minutes with 95 saves to rank second in the league. Kyle Fleming has a team-high seven goals, including four game-winners, with an assist for 15 points, also having fired off 48 shots to lead the way. Both Salvador Orozco and Alex Wardle have scored five goals with Orozco adding an assist and holding a .610 shot on goal percentage, with 25 of his 41 shots on target. A trio of players, Tyler Pascoe, Cameron Rude and Ivan Sanchez has provided a pair of assists apiece.
Whittier has looked to senior Francis Maxwell who leads the SCIAC in shots (75) while finishing second in the league for both goals (12) and points (25). Three Poets, Lucas Depinna, Tyler Crough and Devin Guthrie have four goals apiece this year. Dylan Fortin has dished out a team-leading six assists with Pablo Gomez handing out five. Defensively, WC goalkeeper Jorge Rivas has played all 1720+ minutes this season, saving 54 shots, allowing 27.
Semifinal Two - No. 4 Chapman (11-7-2) at No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (14-5-1)
CMS is the four-time defending SCIAC Post Season Tournament champions and the Stags earned their 24th league title this fall. CMS went 12-3-1 in SCIAC play, sweeping the season series with the Panthers.
Pacing the Stags this season has been Hogan Marhoefer with 11 goals and 23 points while Mehron Abdi and Ethan Hallberg have scored eight times apiece. Marhoefer has fired off 60 shots this season, which is second most. Handing out league-leading eight assists is Michael Crowley.CMS goalkeeper Alex Choi has played stingy defense, allowing just .89 goals against, second in the league, allowing just 10 goals in 1005+ minutes, producing 38 saves.
For Chapman senior Nick Echeverry leads the league with 13 goals, including eight game-winners, and 29 points, finishing third with 59 shots. Boston Kimmel has provided five goals for the Panthers and each has handed out three assists to share the team-lead. Kimmel has fired off 22 of his 35 shots on goal for a .629 shot on goal percentage while Echeverry is shooting at a .525 shot on goal clip with 31 of 59 on target. Doing the goalkeeping, Nick Berardi has allowed 22 goals for a 1.35 goals against average and a .773 save percentage in more than 1462 minutes of action.
On Saturday the two advancing teams will play for the SCIAC Post Season Tournament title at a time yet to be determined at the site of the highest remaining seed. The tournament champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. First and Second Round play is set for Nov. 15-17, followed by Regional action Nov. 22-24 and the Semifinals and NCAA Division III National Championships scheduled at the Blossom Stadium in San Antonio, Tex. Dec 6-7.
Tickets will be sold at the Donald E. Graham Soccer Field. Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff with ID receive free admittance. Admission for all others is $5. T-shirts will be available on site for $15 (short sleeves) and $20 (long sleeves). Doors will open at 6:00 p.m.
Live Video: 2013 SCIAC Post Season Men's Soccer Semifinal Video
Live Stats: 2013 SCIAC Post Season Men's Soccer Semifinal Live Stats
CLU Twitter: https://twitter.com/clusports
Follow Tal: @KingsmenSoccer1
CLU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clusports
