BUIES
CREEK, N.C. -- The 28th Atlantic Sun Men's Soccer Championship
kicks off on Wednesday with Lipscomb taking on Mercer. On Thursday,
the Campbell Camels start their quest to complete an unblemished
A-Sun season and defend their 2007 title.
For just the sixth time in the 30-year history of the conference, a
school completed its conference play undefeated and untied as
Campbell ran through the league with a 9-0-0 mark. In the previous
five occurrences, never had the undefeated school ever had to win
as many conference games as did the Camels. In 1994, College of
Charleston came the closest, posting an 8-0-0 record. The Camels
are the first undefeated team in A-Sun play since FIU in 1995, but
want to avoid the fate the Golden Panthers suffered in that year's
A-Sun Championship. FIU lost in the semifinals that year, and among
the five previous undefeated regular-season champions, they are the
only one not to go on and win the A-Sun Championship title.
Jacksonville won the regular-season title in 2007 with an A-Sun
record of 7-2-0, good for 21 points, but had to settle as the
runner-up to Campbell at the A-Sun Championship. The Dolphins
matched that record in 2008, but were relegated to the second seed.
Their 14 conference wins are three more than the Dolphins won from
2003 to 2006 combined. The Jacksonville offense had to replace the
2007 Player of the Year Anton Axelsson and his 16 goals. Ramak
Niakan Safi stepped up the most, leading the team with seven goals
and 16 points, up from two goals and five points last year. Five of
his seven goals ended up being of game-winning nature. Like last
year, stingy defense aptly describes the Dolphins, who for the
second straight year allowed less than one goal per game against
A-Sun opposition. Goalkeeper Joey Sanchez registered five shutouts
to rank second in that category.
Last season, Lipscomb broke through and made its first A-Sun Men's
Soccer Championship. The Bisons defeated their cross-town rival
Belmont and advanced to the semifinals before bowing out to
Jacksonville. That year, freshman Miguel DaSilva led the offense
with 10 goals. This year, the Bisons have added another fantastic
freshman to the mix in Garret Pettis. Pettis broke DaSilva's
single-season record for goals and the duo has led the Bisons to
the conference's best offense. Lipscomb finished its regular season
atop the conference standings in goals (37), assists (32), points
(106) and shots per game (17.9). DaSilva and Pettis rank in the top
five in shots, goals and points. DaSilva's nine assists and 25
points lead the league as does Pettis' 11 goals.
The Bisons open the A-Sun Championship facing Mercer at 4:00 p.m.
on Wednesday. The Bears saw their streak of nine-straight
appearances at the A-Sun Men's Soccer Championship end last year.
This year the Bears ushered in a new era under head coach Brad
Ruzzo. When the Bears and Bisons met during the regular season,
they played the second-highest scoring conference game of the year
ending in a 4-3 Lipscomb win. Bolade Ogunmade connected for two
goals in that game, part of a senior campaign that consisted of
seven goals and 14 points. His seven goals represented more than 43
percent of all the goals scored by the Bears this season. No single
A-Sun player accounts for a greater percentage of his team's
offense than Ogunmade.
Stetson qualified for its 11th consecutive A-Sun Championship by
virtue of rallying from a tough month-long stretch during September
and October. After a 2-0 start, the Hatters won only once, a 1-0
win against Clemson, spanning seven games between Sept. 7 and Oct.
10. However, the Hatters closed with a flourish with five wins in
their final seven games including their final three by a combined
11-2 margin. No A-Sun team features offensive parity like the
Hatters who had no player score more than four goals entering the
championship. Eight players scored multiple times and six
registered between seven and 15 points.
When Belmont takes on Stetson at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, it will
feature the teams with the two longest, active streaks of making
the A-Sun Championship field. Belmont has made the six-team field
every year back to 2003, but yet the Bruins have been unable to
advance past the first round. Stetson won the regular-season
contest, 2-0 on Oct. 26. Dan Meacock and Will Moorad have carried
the offense, combining to score 15 of the Bruins' 29 goals.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to
Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with
integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on
the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered
in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets
in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most
prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the
region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee
State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville
University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer
University, University of North Florida, University of South
Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
2008 Atlantic Sun Men's Soccer Championship
Schedule
All Matches Played at the Eakes Athletic Complex - Buies Creek,
N.C.
Wednesday, November 12
#6 Mercer vs #3 Lipscomb, 4:00pm
#5 Belmont vs #4 Stetson, 7:00pm
Thursday, November 14
Quarterfinal #1 Winner vs #2 Jacksonville, 4:00pm
Quarterfinal #2 Winner vs #1 Campbell, 7:00pm
Saturday, November 15
Championship, 3:00pm
