Second Round Homepage
Grantham, PA - Messiah College will look to get back to the top of the NCAA this fall, and will start by hosting Emory Univesrity in the Second Round of the NCAA Championships. The Falcons received a bye through the First Round game, with Emory advancing past Roanoke College in a 4-1 win on Thursday of this week.
Messiah and Emory will match-up at 12:00 noon on Sunday.
Last year, Messiah had their run of three-straight NCAA Championships broken in a
1-0 overtime loss to Neumann University in the Second Round. In total,
Messiah has eight national titles in their program history-- all won since the year 2000.
Below is a snapshot of the contest scheduled for Sunday at 12:00 p.m., with the winner earning the right to move to next weekend's Third Round and Quarterfinals.
(Fans are also encouraged to visit D3Soccer.com for additional coverage of the Championships Tournament.)
|
#1 Messiah College Falcons |
|
Location: Grantham, PA
Coach: Brad McCarty (4th season, 84-3-2 at Messiah)
2012 Record: 19-0-1, 9-0 Commonwealth Conference
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 24th
Last NCAA Appearance Result: 2011 First Round loss, 1-0 (OT) to Neumann University
How the Falcons got here: Messiah College won their sixth-straight Commonwealth Championship last weekend, winning 1-0 over Lebanon Valley College. The win for Messiah ended when a last-second shot by the Dutchmen bounced off the crossbar of the Falcons' net. The Automatic Qualifier for Messiah (AQ) was followed by their fourth-straight season with a bye into the Second Round.
This season, Messiah ranks in the top-five in the nation in goals against average (2nd, 0.29), goals scored per game (4th, 3.35), and total assists (5th, 59). Able to inflict damage from all fields, the Falcons were led in scoring by Commonwealth Player of the Year Jeremy Payne (14 goals, 6 assists). Sophomore Jack Thompson (9 goals, team-high 10 assists), junior Joshua Wood (9 goals, 7 assists), and sophomore Mike Kovach (8 goals, 5 assists) joined Payne as 20+ point scorers. Bran Ramirez (5 goals, 9 assists) and Bryant Myer (4 goals, 6 assists) were also double-digit scorers for the Falcons. Sophomore keeper Brandon West is 3rd in the nation with a 0.23 goals against average, as Carter Robbins, Logan Thompson, Luke Helmuth, and Josh Kremers lead a defensive squad that allowed just six goals all season.
.
|
|
Emory University |
|
|
Location: Atlanta, GA
Coach: Sonny Travis (6th season, 79-26-7 at Emory)
2012 Record: 11-6-2, 4-2-1 University Athletic Association
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 14th
Last NCAA Appearance Result (Prior to 2012): 2010 Second Round loss, 2-1 to Lynchburg
How the Eagles got here: Emory arrives in the Second Round match-up with Messiah by way of a First Round victory over Roanoke College on Thursday evening. The Eagles scored twice in each half to earn the 4-1 win, their first in the NCAAs since 1988. Senior Andrew Natalino scored two goals and collected an assist in the victory, bringing his team-leading total to 14 goals this season. Sophomore Dylan Price also scored his 12th goal of the year, second on the team to Natalino.
This year, the Eagles outscored their opponents 45-25 en route to the program's seventh UAA Championship. Their current record can be misleading, as Emory is now 8-2-1 in its last 11 games—5-1-1 in their last seven. Their defensive play has been a driving force, as they have held opponents to 10 or fewer shots in 11 games. As a team, they carry a 1.27 goals against average thanks to senior defenders David Garofalo (team-high 6 assists) and Alex Scott. Freshman keeper Abe Hannigan carries a 0.652 save percentage in net. Outside of Natalino and Price, junior Andrew Jones carries four goals and five assists in 2012 while both sophomore Carl Credle and Scott have scored three times.
.
|
