The Gustavus men’s soccer team is set to host UW-Whitewater on Saturday, November 13 in a second round match of the NCAA tournament. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:0pm and tickets will be $6 for adults, $3 for students with I.D. and $2 for children under 12.
Gustavus is making its second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and fifth in school history (1993, 1994, 2000, 2003). The Gusties defeated Macalester College 3-0 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff Championship to advance to this year’s national tournament. Gustavus defeated Wartburg College (Iowa) in a shoot-out in last year’s first round game in St. Peter, Minn. to advance to the second round. Gustavus then traveled to California to play the University of Redlands. The Gusties and Bulldogs battled to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes of play and the game was settled in a shoot-out. Redlands defeated the Gusties 4-3 in the shoot-out to advance to the next round.
Gustavus finished the regular season with an overall record of 17-1-2 and is ranked second in the West Region and tenth in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as of November 9. The Gusties have recorded 18 shutouts in 20 games and outscored their opponents 44-2 this season. Head coach Larry Zelenz’s squad leads NCAA Division III in team goals against average (0.11) and team shutout percentage (0.87).
UW-Whitewater is making its fourh consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and sixth in school history (1986, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003). Whitewater hosted Edgewood College (Wis.) on Wednesday, November 10 in a first round match. The Warhawks advanced to the second round of the national tournament by defeating the Eagles 2-1. Whitewater lost to Hope College (Mich.) 3-1 in last year’s first round game. UW-Whitewater enters the match with an overall record of 13-7-0 outscoring its opponents 48-25 this season.
Gustavus and Whitewater have met six times in the past. The Gusties lead the all-time series 4-2, however the Warhawks won the last meeting 3-1 in 1996. The winner of Saturday’s match will advance to one of four sectional sites on November 19-20 or November 20-21. Winners of the four sectionals will advance to the finals November 26-27. All games, except the finals, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park in Greensboro, North Carolina will be the site of this year’s finals.