October 28, 2001
B.B. Branton
(931) 598-1136

Men's Soccer:

Sewanee Defeats Rose-Hulman, 3-0

(Terre Haute, Ind.) --   The University of the South men's soccer team defeated Rose-Hulman, 3-0, here Sunday to clinch at least a tie for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and more importantly, earned the SCAC automatic bid to the 44-team, NCAA tournament which starts Nov. 7.

Sewanee is 15-2 overall and 8-1 in the SCAC and dethrones two-time defending SCAC champion Trinity. Only DePauw (7-1) can tie the Tigers for first place, but Sewanee wins the conference tiebreaker since it defeated DePauw, 1-0, on Friday. DePauw hosts Rose-Hulman on Saturday in the last SCAC match for those two schools.

"This is the best team in Sewanee men's soccer history,'' said coach Matt Kern after the match. "Just look at what the guys have done this season, both at home (7-1) and away (8-1). The guys have worked hard all year and now we prepare for the NCAA tournament.''Kemper Blair opened the scoring at 3:37 on David Allen's assist. Allen also scored two goals on assists by senior Andrew North (former Baylor School standout) and junior Andy Leffler.

Goalkeepers Paul Roper and Dylan Lane combined for the shutout, which is Sewanee's seventh straight and ninth of the season. Roper has 23 career shutouts.

In a day of firsts for Sewanee, the win gives the Tigers its first SCAC title and its first NCAA tournament bid in the 34-year history of the program. This is also the first Sewanee team to post a perfect record (8-0) in October. Sewanee won the Collegiate Athletic Conference (CAC) in 1980, 1987-88-89 and the SCAC was formed prior to the 1991-92 school year.

RECORDS: The 2001 Tigers also hold school season records for best winning percentage (88.2%), consecutive wins (11) and fewest goals allowed (13).

NCAA BID: Sunday Nov. 4 9 p.m. CST, the NCAA will announce the 44-team field, and sites and opponents of the first week's matches. Opening round games are set for Wed. Nov. 7.

INJURY REPORT: Sophomore Thomas Smythe injured a kidney ikn the 1-0 win against DePauw and is likely out for the season. Smythe was injured in the first half as a result of a collison with the Depauw goalkeeper. Smythe played most of the second half.


 
1
2
F
Rose-Hulman
0
0
0
Sewanee
2
1
3

4th Minute Sewanee Blair (Allen)
14th Minute Sewanee Allen (North)
67th Minute Sewanee Allen (Leffler, North)

Line-ups:
Sewanee:  Roper, Wooster, R. Davis, K. Davis, Johnston, Cail, Garvich, Blair, North, Allen, Leffler.  Substitutes:  Packard, Thomas, Hamilton, Todd, Mantini, Bethay, Lane.
Rose-Hulman: Posey, Meyer, Menke, Fell, Woods, Hoffman, Steincocher, Druchner, Bowe, O'Lorman, Rykowski. Substitutes: Ruth, Meyers, Bulyard, Mansard, Page, Bellin.

Stats:

Rose-Hulman
Sewanee
Total Shots
7
20
Saves
5
2
Offsides
0
4
Fouls
11
9
Corner Kicks
0
8

Attendance: 115

Sewanee Coach Matt Kern:

"We are excited to have secured a spot in the 2001 NCAA III National Tournament."

"This is the enxt step for our program, as we have been Top 25 in the country the last three years."

"I am proud of the current team, and also the student-athletes that have come through the Sewanee Soccer Experience."

"While we are pleased to be playing in November, our goal was not only to qualify, but to advance."

"Securing the AQ out of the SCAC, one of the best NCAA III men's soccer conferences in the country, is something that our entire school is very proud to have accomplished."