2009 Capital Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship Preview
YORK, PA - The York College
men’s soccer team comes into their fifth championship game
appearance in the last six years looking to capture their fourth
overall Capital Athletic Conference title. The Spartans have won
tournament championships in 1998, 2005, and 2006. The Spartans won
two of those title at home as they defeated Salisbury in 1998 and
Mary Washington in 2006.
The CAC championship game for Stevenson is
their first-ever appearance in their third year in the conference.
The Mustangs punched their ticket to the final with a stunning 1-0
win over Salisbury on Tuesday’s semifinal. The Mustangs
scored just before the half on a Kyle Baker goal as he collected a
deflected ball inside the 18 and fired a shot into the upper left
90.
The Mustangs were out-shot 26-2 by the Sea
Gulls but their defense made Baker’s goal stand up. Ryan
Flannelly was outstanding in goal for the Mustangs as he made 14
saves in recording the shutout for Stevenson.
The Spartans earned their way to the conference
title courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Mary Washington on Tuesday.
The Spartans opened the scoring in the 10th minute as two-time
All-American Jon Ports took a Kemal
Nuspahic thru pass, pushed the ball forward and then
drilled the ball home inside the right post for the opening goal.
Freshman Antonio Bua added to the Spartan lead
just over six minutes later with an unassisted goal, his fourth of
the year.
The York offense was dynamic in the opening
half, playing some of their best soccer of the season. The Eagles
came out of the break and got a gift penalty kick which they
converted to trim the Spartan lead to 2-1. That margin would last
until the 75th minute when Mike Gill headed in a
Mike O’Connell flick for his third goal of
the year.
Nuspahic closed out the scoring in the 85th
minute on a penalty kick. That was his seventh goal of the
season.
Ryan Hock earned the win in
goal as he improves to 8-1-3.
For the season, junior Mike O’Connell and
Nuspahic lead the Spartans with 19 points each. O’Connell has
nine goals and one assist while Nuspahic has seven goals and five
assists. Ports has chipped in with 17 points on five goals and
seven assists. Senior Travis Williams has added
seven goals and two assists for 16 points while junior
Lucas Emil is the final Spartan in double figures
with 11 points on three goals and five
helpers.
Hock has played 1063 minutes and sports a 0.42
goals against average while his save percentage is a stellar
.815%.
The Spartans are averaging 2.53 goals per game
while they are allowing 0.53 goals per contest.
Stevenson enters the match having won five
straight, outscoring their opponents 25-2. The Mustangs are led by
Ansger Otto as freshman midfielder has 22 points on nine goals and
four assists including two game-winning goals. Baker has added 17
points on seven goals and three assists as he also has a pair of
game-winners for the Mustangs. Tyler King is the third Mustang that
has recorded double figures in points with 13 points on four goals
and five assists.
Flannelly has played 1373 in goal and has a
0.98 goals against average while he boasts a save percentage of
.862. He owns a record of 11-7 with five shutouts. Flannelly has
amassed 94 saves for Stevenson.
The Mustangs are averaging 2.25 goals per game
while they have allowed 1.10 goals per match.
The winner of today’s match earns an
automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer
tournament. The field will be announced Sunday evening followed by
the pairings on Monday morning at www.NCAA.com. The Spartans have
earned a berth in the last four NCAA Tournaments, the first time in
school history that a Spartan athletic team has earned four
consecutive tournament berths.
2009 CAPITAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009
2:00 pm at Graham Field - York, Pa.
Stevenson University (12-8) vs. #4 York (Pa.) (14-1-4)
The winner earns an automatic berth in the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Tournament.