Men's Soccer Set for Second-Ever NCAA Round of 16 Appearance

11/19/2021 9:41:00 AM | By: Garrett Siegel, Senior Staff Writer

AMHERST, Mass. -- After two victories in the NCAA Tournament in Don Shula Stadium, the Blue Streaks travel to Amherst, Massachusetts for their second ever appearance in the Sweet 16 of the Men's Soccer Division III NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Streaks play in a 4-team pod similar to last week, as SUNY Cortland, Amherst College, and Middlebury College will be playing in Amherst on Saturday November 19. The winner from each game will face off on Sunday, November 20.

Middlebury and John Carroll will kickoff at 1:30 pm on Saturday. Middlebury (12-4-3) comes off a huge weekend in Lancaster, PA. In the First Round, the Panthers defeated SUNY Oneonta 1-0, and then upset No. 4 ranked and host school Franklin & Marshall, 2-0, in the Second Round. Middlebury lost the (New England Small College Athletic Conference) NESCAC Tournament Semifinals 1-0 to Tufts University and got an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Before last weekend, the Panthers were 0-3-1 against NCAA Tournament teams. The Panthers are led by Jordan Saint-Louis, who leads the team in goals (7), assists (5), and points (19). Middlebury did not receive a vote all season into the United Soccer Coaches top 25 rankings all season. This is the first time Middlebury has made the NCAA Quarterfinals since 2010. The Panthers have appeared in 17 NCAA Tournaments, with a 14-8-7 record overall. Middlebury won the National Championship in 2007.

John Carroll (14-3-4) is coming off two wins after hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Streaks defeated Bethany (WV), 3-1, in the First Round and Johns Hopkins, 2-1, in the Second Round. The Blue Streaks were led by Jack Foht, who registered seven points on the weekend with three goals and an assist. The Blue Streaks won a share of the OAC regular season championship and won the OAC Tournament by defeating Otterbein, 1-0, in overtime.

The Blue Streaks also did not get a spot in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 rankings all season. This is the first all-time meeting between Middlebury and John Carroll, and the first time playing any school in the NESCAC for JCU. John Carroll has also not played SUNY Cortland or Amherst College in program history, either. The Blue Streaks are also playing on natural grass for the first time since their September 18 loss to Ohio Wesleyan. The Blue Streaks are 1-1 on the year on a natural grass field, with their win coming against Kenyon in the first game of the year.

SUNY Cortland (18-2-1) will face off against Amherst College at 11 am on Saturday. SUNY Cortland is coming off a 6-1 victory over Nazareth in the First Round and a 3-1 victory over Kean in the Second Round. The Red Dragons were SUNYAC regular season and tournament champions after defeating SUNY Oswego, 6-0, in the tournament championship game. The Red Dragons are on a 7-game win streak, and before last weekend were 1-1-1 against NCAA Tournament teams. The last United Soccer Coaches top 25 rankings had SUNY Cortland ranked as No. 5 in the country back on November 2.

Amherst College (14-2-2) comes into the weekend off of two shutout victories. Amherst defeated Rosemont, 5-0, in the First Round, and knocked off host Babson College, 3-0, in the Second Round. The Mammoths were upset by Colby College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals 4-3 in PKs. In the last NCAA Tournament, the Mammoths were the Runner-Ups of the National Championship after falling to fellow NESCAC school Tufts University. Amherst is led by German Giammattei, who leads the team in goals (8) and points (19).

In the last United Soccer Coaches top 25 rankings, the Mammoths were ranked No. 19 back on November 8 and were ranked as high as No. 10 earlier in the season. Amherst will be hosting all three games this weekend and had a 4-1-1 record against NCAA Tournament teams before last weekend. This will be the second all-time meeting between Amherst and SUNY Cortland. Amherst won the first matchup.

The winners of the two games Saturday, November 19 will play the next day, Sunday, November 20 at 1 pm, also at Amherst College. A win on Saturday would place John Carroll in the Elite 8 for the first time in program history.

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