2015 NCAA Soccer Championship Bracket
INDIANAPOLIS – For the ninth time in school history, the 14th-ranked and South Atlantic Conference regular season champions Carson-Newman men's soccer team (15-2-2) earned a bid to the NCAA Socer Championships as the Eagles were named the three-seed in the Southeast region and will face the sixth-seeded Limestone Saints Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Young Harris in Young Harris, Ga.
Carson-Newman last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 as the five-seed and began a majestic run that ended in a 2-1 loss in the NCAA National Championship game to Southern New Hampshire.
The Eagles drew in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament semifinals last Friday with the Queens (N.C.) Royals after coming back from three goals down, but fell in penalty kicks 5-4 to be eliminated in the championship game to Wingate.
"To have gone out in the SAC Tournament in the way that we did, I think was the most helpful way; obviously you want to win it, but to have a tie and to come back from three goals down helped our campaign and gave us the ability to stay regionally ranked," coach Richard Moodie said.
The Eagles are 6-8-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and have made three appearances in the Sweet-16. C-N has advanced to the Elite Eight three times in 2003, 2004 and 2013 and the Final Four once. Carson-Newman made seven-consecutive appearance in the NCAAs from 2003-09.
The Eagles are making their second-appearance in the tournament under Moodie and will face Limestone in the NCAA Tournament for the second time. Carson-Newman knocked off the Saints 3-1 during the 2013 tourney when Limestone was the top-seeded team in the Southeast region. The only other time the two programs squared off was in 1997 when C-N won 2007.
"The three-seed is fantastic; obviously, we are happy to be in the national tournament, but personally, I think we could've finished second I think if we got the result against Queens, we could've hosted the tournament," senior captain James Ward (Trine Cornwell, England) said. "Third is fantastic; we are in the tournament. We can push on from there. I don't think it is a true reflection of how we've played this season. We've only got two losses."
Limestone is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season and are 15-4 on the year. The Saints fell to the nation's top-team, Pfeiffer, 3-0 in the Confernce Carolinas championship game on Sunday. Before its loss to the Falcons, Limestone had won ninth-straight contests. They are led in scoring by Gui Machado who has 14 goals while Harry Cooksley has 11 scores and eight assists.
Carson-Newman's side of the bracket will run through the Young Harris Mountain Lions who were granted the second-seed. The Eagles knocked off the Mountain Lions 3-0 on Oct. 14th at McCown Field when Young Harris was ranked 16th in the nation. YHC won the Peach Belt Conference regular season and tournament titles.
"We are real excited to be a part of the national tournament. It was a great experience by in 2013 and being a three-seed shows we are doing something right this season," senior defender Sindre Welo (Trondheim, Norway) said. "There is a lot of similar stuff compared between the two teams (in relation to the 2013 team). Both are great groups of guys that work hard and want to win championships.
On the other side of the Southeast region, Pfeiffer earned the region's top-seed with an undefeated record of 20-0 and champions of Conference Carolinas. The fourth-seeded Lander Bearcats and fifth-seeded Wingate Bulldogs will play in Friday's first round match in Misenheimer, N.C. Wingate won the SAC Championship title over Queens on Sunday, while the Bearcats fell to Young Harris in the Peach Belt title game.
Thirty-teams made the 2015 NCAA Soccer Championships and that will dwindle to the National Champions, which will be determined on Dec. 5th in Pensacola, Fla.
NCAA Men's Soccer Super Region 2 Schedule
Friday, Nov. 13
3:30 p.m. #3 Carson-Newman vs. #6 Limestone (at Young Harris)
7 p.m. #4 Lander vs. #5 Wingate (at Pfeiffer)
Sunday, Nov. 15
1 p.m. Lander-Wingate winner at #1 Pfeiffer
3:30 p.m. C-N-Limestone winner at #2 Young Harris
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