2016 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament
Babson Park Regional | First and Second Rounds
Saturday-Sunday, November 12-13
Hartwell-Rogers Field | Babson Park, Mass.
DIVISION III MEN'S SOCCER DIGITAL PROGRAM
SCHEDULE
Saturday, November 12 | First Round
Babson vs. Saint Joseph's, 10:50 a.m.
Brandeis vs. Western New England, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 13 | Second Round
First round winners, 1:10 p.m.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Babson and Brandeis both earned at-large bids to this year's tournament after closing the season strong and boasting two of the top strength of schedule numbers in the country. Saint Joseph's, which has suffered just one loss on the year, owns one of the top defenses in Division III, while Western New England enters the weekend riding a six-game unbeaten streak.
BRANDEIS vs. WESTERN NEW ENGLAND
The Judges and Golden Bears will also meet for just the second time in Saturday's first round. Brandeis defeated Western New England, 4-2, in the 2010 ECAC New England Tournament final.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 9th
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2013 (defeated MIT in first round, lost to Williams in second round)
Western New England (11-9-1), which is 5-0-1 over its last six matches, scored three second-half goals to defeat Wentworth, 4-1, in the CCC Tournament final last Saturday. Junior Troy Remillard (17-3-37) scored six goals in three league tournament matches, classmate Logan Pingree (8-4-20) leads the team with three game-winning goals and senior Kory Caster (2-5-9) is first on the team in assists. Senior goalkeeper Kevin Strobel has posted a 1.56 goals against average to go along with a .754 save percentage and five clean sheets in 21 starts this fall. The Golden Bears have advance to the second round in each of their last three NCAA Tournament appearances.
SCOUTING THE JUDGES
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 14th
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2015 (defeated Thomas in the first round, defeated RPI in the second round, lost to Trinity (Texas) in the sectional semifinals)
Brandeis (10-5-3) is making its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance after going 7-2-2 over its final 11 matches. Senior Josh Ocel (5-11-21) leads the team in goals and ranks eighth nationally in assists per game, while sophomore Andrew Allen (4-3-11) has scored a pair of game-winning markers. Senior Evan Jastremski (4-1-9) and junior Patrick Flahive (4-0-8) also have combined to tally four game-winning goals. Junior goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse has posted a 0.88 goals against average and a .793 save percentage to go along seven shutouts in 18 starts on the year. The Judges have advanced to the second weekend of the national tournament in each of the last four seasons.
BABSON vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
The Beavers and Monks will meet for just the second time on Saturday in a first-round match. Babson defeated Saint Joseph's, 3-1, in the opening game of the 2014 season.
SCOUTING THE MONKS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 3rd
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2011 (lost to Trinity (Conn.) in the first round)
Saint Joseph's (15-1-5) extended the nation's third longest unbeaten streak to 19 games and captured the GNAC's automatic bid after defeating Norwich, 4-2, in penalty kicks following a 0-0 2OT draw in the conference final last Saturday. Sophomore Brett Mattos (6-6-18) and Austin Bell (6-0-12) have combined to score eight game winning goals, while first-year JoJo Strobino (2-7-11) leads the team in assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Blake Mullen ranks third in Division III in both goals against average (0.24) and save percentage (.906) to go along 13 shutouts for a defense that has conceded just one goal over its last 10 matches. The Monks are looking for their first NCAA Tournament win.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 27th
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2015 (lost to Franklin & Marshall in the first round)
Babson (11-5-3) had its 11-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Wheaton in a NEWMAC Tournament semifinal last Saturday. Senior Adam Villari (7-4-18) has at least a point in eight of the last 10 games and leads the Green and White with five game-winning goals. Sophomore Noah Parker (3-3-9) is tied for third on the team in goals and assists, while first-year Youcef Ziad (4-1-9) and junior Ian Fromhein (3-1-7) have combined to score four times in the last three matches. Junior goalkeeper James Takami has posted a 0.76 goals against average and a .833 save percentage to go along with seven clean sheets in 19 starts. The Beavers are seeking their first NCAA Tournament win since 2011.
NOTABLE
• The Beavers were selected as first and second round NCAA Tournament regional host for the fifth time since 2008.
• Babson and Brandeis have combined to win four Division III national titles. The Beavers won national championships in 1975, 1979 and 1980, while the Judges captured the 1976 crown.
• Brandeis head coach Mike Coven, in his 44th year on the sidelines, is the longest tenured coach in Division III.
• Saint Joseph's was also part of the Babson Park Regional in 2011, when it suffered a 1-0 loss to Trinity (Conn.).
• Western New England will play its first match on Hartwell-Rogers Field since 2006 when it meets Brandeis on Saturday afternoon.
