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11/6/2009 - MEN'S SOCCER
A-Sun Men's Soccer Championship Opens Saturday
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MACON, Ga. - The 2009 Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Conference Championship begins Saturday with first-round matchups in Johnson City, Tenn. and Jacksonville, Fla.
The championship opens with third-seeded ETSU welcoming No. 6 seed Lipscomb to Johnson City, Tenn., for a 2:00 p.m. match Saturday at the Summers-Taylor Facility. The winner advances to Buies Creek, N.C. for a semifinal showdown with Stetson. Saturday's first round concludes with Mercer traveling to UNF for a 6:00 p.m. match from Hodges Stadium. The winner earns a match with No. 1 seed Campbell on Thursday in Buies Creek, N.C.
ETSU earned its first-ever berth into the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Conference Championship after putting together a 5-8-3 record and a mark of 4-4-1 in conference play. The Bucs picked up the No. 3 seed and host Lipscomb in a first round matchup. ETSU holds a mark of 4-2-2 at the Summers-Taylor Facility and a record of 3-1-1 against conference foes on its home field. In the final weekend of regular-season play, the Bucs downed the Bisons, 3-0. Aaron Schoenfeld, Jaron Westbrook and Alesi Osorio notched goals in the contest. ETSU started the season slow with only one win in its first 10 matches. The Bucs closed the regular season with four wins in their final six games. Sean Hoek leads the Bucs offensively with 11 points on the season including leading the squad in goals with five. Scott Rosman, who earned a shutout against Lipscomb, leads the ETSU in net with a conference-best 1.17 goals-against average.
Lipscomb enters the 2009 A-Sun Championships holding a record of 6-9-3 and a mark of 3-4-2 against league foes. The Bisons opened the season strong, starting unbeaten through their first three matches but they only posted one win in their next 10 matches. Lipscomb closed the regular season with only one loss in its last four matches coming at the hands of ETSU. Miguel DaSilva leads Lipscomb in goals, assists and points. Garrett Pettis ranks second on the Bisons in goals and points and leading the team in game-winning goals with three. Brent McGee leads Lipscomb in net but he and Patrick Walsh have each appeared in at least nine contests during the season. McGee holds a 1.69 goals-against average and a .667 save percentage with one shutout on the year. Walsh posted 1.85 goals-against average with a .650 save percentage during the regular season including three shutouts.
UNF, who qualified for the six-team tournament in its first year of eligibility, struggled in the first half of the season opening the campaign with eight consecutive losses. The Ospreys turned their season around with a 2-0 defeat against then-unbeaten Stetson in early October. Starting with their defeat of the Hatters, UNF earned points in five of eight conference matches. Adam O’Neill leads the Ospreys offensively with 13 points heading into the championship. O’Neill also leads UNF in goals with six including two game-winning goals. Matthew Hollyoak leads the Ospreys in assists with four. In their regular-season meeting the Ospreys and Bears, UNF locked up its spot in the A-Sun Championship with a 2-1 victory on Halloween night.
Mercer comes in the 2009 Atlantic Sun Championship with an overall record of 5-10-2 and conference record of 4-5-0. The Bears struggles in non-conference play going 1-4-2 against non-league foes. Mercer turned things around in conference play posting three consecutive wins to open A-Sun play. The Bears knocked off Belmont, Lipscomb and ETSU to open league play by a combined score of 7-1. Following the three-game winning streak, Mercer posted only one win in its final seven games. Ian Cameron leads the Bears offensively with 13 points including six goals during the regular season. Freshman Brett Petricek leads Mercer in net holding opponents to a 1.35 goals-against average while registering a .798 save percentage and three shutouts.
