Men's Sectional Previews: Midwest

By Jim Naprstek

Third Round - Saturday, Nov. 23

Quarterfinals - Sunday, Nov. 24

Sectional Final, 5:00 pm CT

How they reached the Sweet 16

Loras: IIAC Automatic Berth (AQ) | 1st Rnd: Bye | 2nd Rnd: T1-1(2ot-pks) Luther (H)

Westminster (Mo.): SLIAC Automatic Berth (AQ) | 1st Rnd: W1-0 Carleton (N) | 2nd Rnd: W1-0 Gust. Adolpus (A)

Trinity (Tx.): SCAC Automatic Berth (AQ) | 1st Rnd: W2-0 Cal Lutheran (H) | 2nd Rnd: W4-0 Puget Sound (H)

Wartburg: Pool C at-large berth | 1st Rnd: W4-0 Dominican (H) | 2nd Rnd: W2-1(2ot) Hope (H)

2013 Statistical Overview

Loras: 17-1-3 (.881) | 2.35 GSA, 0.51 GAA (+1.84) | Avg. D-III OWP: .607 | Last Ten: 8-1-1

Westminster (Mo.): 13-8-1 (.614) | 2.42 GSA, 1.19 GAA (+1.23) | Avg. D-III OWP: .497 | Last Ten: 9-1-0

Trinity (Tx.): 20-2-1 (.891) | 3.88 GSA, 0.30 GAA (+3.58) | Avg. D-III OWP: .509 | Last Ten: 10-0-0

Wartburg: 17-4-2 (.783) | 1.73 GSA, 0.66 GAA (+1.07) | Avg. D-III OWP: .599 | Last Ten: 8-2-0

Loras Season Review

For the second season in a row, the Duhawks find themselves in the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championships. After avenging their only loss in the Iowa Conference Tournament, Loras received a bye in the first round, and then proceeded to advance past Luther College on penalty kicks. A draw on the first weekend of the season against UW-Superior and later against UW-Oshkosh were the only other blemishes on their record.

The Duhawks returned two All-Americans to their roster this season in Dan Figura (D3Soccer.com) and Kevin Cavers (NSCAA & D3Soccer.com). Junior Tom Fluegel leads the vastly distributed Loras offense with seven goals and four assists. Twenty different players registered goals on the season, which speaks to the sharing of the wealth that Loras has. In goal, senior Dylan Milkent posted another stellar campaign including a 0.50 GAA, nine shutouts and a 15-1-3 record.

Westminster (Mo.) Season Review

Making their first appearance in the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championships are the Blue Jays of Westminster College. Winners of the SLIAC, Westminster enters the weekend with a 13-8-1 record and are ready to continue their “Cinderella Story”. The Blue Jays are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2002, and with their first round win over Carleton, advanced to the second round for the first time in school history.

Freshman Drew Cook leads the Westminster offense with eight goals and four assists. Closely behind him is Junior Connor Hollrah, who’s racked up six goals and four assists. Freshman Raul Romero displayed his ability in net last weekend, posting back-to-back shutouts. He enters with a 1.24 GAA and a 11-5-0 record.

Trinity (Tx.) Season Review

After many had discredited the Tigers after their 2-2-1 start to the season, they’ve roared back, winning 18 straight contests. On top of that, Trinity has scored 90 goals, equivalent to 3.91 per game. Of the 20 wins they have on the season, 17 have been shutouts. Simply put, there have been very few teams that have been able to play with the Tigers. Trinity has not surrendered a goal in over a month, dating back to Oct. 15.

Leading the high octane offense is junior Jonny Lawson with 15 goals and six assists. He’s joined at the top of the leaderboard by senior Yuri Ribeiro (9G-18A-36pts) and junior Victor Araujo (11G-8A-30pts). Junior Matt Cardone is the man in net for the Tigers. In 21 games, he’s accumulated a 0.40 GAA and a 12-0-1 record, including six shutouts.

Wartburg Season Review

One of three teams from the Iowa Conference in this year’s NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championships, Wartburg was just seconds from turning the tables. After defeating Loras College in the regular season, they lost the top seed in the conference tournament with five seconds remaining in their double overtime bout with Luther, giving Loras the top seed by tie-breaker. Then in the conference tournament championship, the Duhawks snuck in a header to the near post to claim the AQ, leaving Wartburg clinging to a Pool C bid. With all that being said, the Knights have put together an impressive campaign. Their 17 wins is the most since 2006, a season in which they finished 19-3-1 in the sectional semifinals with a loss to Wheaton (Ill.), the eventual National Runner-Up.

Wartburg prides themselves on their defense and are led by senior Bob Brown, who helped to lead Wartburg to nine shutouts on the year. Junior Dan Nadeau sits atop the leaderboard with 11 goals and three assists, followed closely by freshman Paris Martins who has eight goals and two assists. In goal, senior Cade Shatzer claimed first team all-conference honors with his 14-2-0 record and 0.50 GAA.

Seniors' 4-year Record (through Nov. 17)

Loras: 71-13-8 (.815) overall | NCAA's ('10-'11-'12-'13): 6-3-2, Sweet 16 - '10-'12-'13, Elite 8 - '12, Final Four - '12

Westminster (Mo.): 46-25-8 (.633) overall | NCAA's ('13): 2-0-0, Sweet 16 - '13

Trinity (Tx.): 72-8-8 (.864) overall | NCAA's ('10-'11-'12'-'13): 4-3-2, Sweet 16 - '10-'12-'13

Wartburg: 43-31-5 (.576) overall | NCAA's ('13): 2-0-0, Sweet 16 - '13

Tournament Experience

Both Loras and Trinity (Tx.) have reached the sectional round multiple times in their programs’ histories. For Wartburg, they return after a short hiatus, and for Westminster, this is their first season in which they’ve advanced out of the first round. Loras returns a large part of their squad that was responsible for the team’s run to the Final Four just a season ago. Trinity made it to the Sweet 16 last season before falling to Montclair St., 2-1.

Tournament Re-Matches

As two members of the Iowa Conference, Loras and Wartburg met twice this season with each team claiming victory. Just two weeks ago, it was the Duhawks who claimed the AQ from the IIAC with a 1-nil win in overtime over the Knights.

Why they will advance to the Final Four

Loras: They’re playing on their home pitch, one that they have not lost on in 26 matches dating back to the 2011 season. They return a majority of their starters from last year’s Final Four squad and will play just about their entire lineup, making them one of the deepest teams in the tournament.

Westminster (Mo.): They’ve got nothing to lose. As a team that no one gave a chance to, the Blue Jays have shocked the nation by advancing to the Sweet 16. They bring a tight defense that was effective against Carleton and Gustavus Adolphus. While they most likely won’t run up the score on their opponent, they’ll make it difficult for them to score.

Trinity (Tx.): They are hands down the hottest team in the country at this point. They’ve scored 90 times this season and have pitched 17 shutouts, resulting in a number of their wins being lopsided. If their offense hot streak continues, there may not be many teams that can hold them back.

Wartburg: They’ve got a tall task in front of them with Trinity (Tx.), but their defense has been able to stifle opponents all season long. If they advance to the sectional finals, they’ll have proven that they have the defense to contend for a National Championship.