#1 Midwestern State (19-0-2) vs. #8 Colorado School of Mines (17-3-1)
NCAA Division II South Central Region Championship
Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017 | 7 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
#2 California Baptist (17-0-2) vs. Cal Poly Pomona (16-5)
NCAA Division II West Region Championship
Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017 | 4 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
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- Midwestern State is in the midst of its 13th appearance in the NCAA Division II postseason and is in search of its sixth regional title. It's the Mustangs' 30th overall national playoff appearance including 17 NAIA tournament runs.
- MSU is making its fifth consecutive NCAA postseason showing and 11th in the last 12 seasons.
- The Mustangs are 16-10-3 all-time in the NCAA Division II playoffs (dating back to 2002) including an 8-2-1 run on its home pitch.
- MSU advanced to the Final Four in 2007 and 2010 and to the national quarterfinals on six occasions (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016).
- The Mustangs are on their second longest unbeaten streak in program history improving to 19-0-2 with a 3-0 win over No. 19 Colorado Mesa in the NCAA Division II South Central Region semifinals Sunday at Stang Park. MSU went 26 matches without a loss between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
- Midwestern has won eight consecutive matches since playing Rogers State to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 12th.
- Midwestern claimed its fourth conference postseason tournament championships as a member of NCAA Division II by claiming the 2017 Heartland Conference title. MSU claimed LSC titles in 1999 and 2001 and an SSC championship in 2006.
- The Mustangs finished off consecutive Heartland Conference regular season championships with a 12-0-2 league mark in 2017. In two seasons in the Heartland, MSU boasts a 25-1-2 record (.929).
- Midwestern are coming off its fourth unbeaten regular season going 16-0-2 this fall. The Mustangs also posted unbeaten regular season ledgers in 2002 (13-0-4), 2010 (16-0-2) and 2015 (16-0-1) – all coming under current head coach Doug Elder.
- Elder claimed his second straight Heartland Conference Coach of the Year honor and rates as one of the winningest coaches in any venue with a career mark of 273-56-32 (.801). The MSU alum and former All-America player piloted 20th-straight winning season and No. 3 national ranking. It's his ninth conference coach of the year award also winning accolades from the Southwest Soccer Conference (2005-08) and Lone Star Conference (2002, 2010-11).
- Senior midfielder Pierre Bocquet (8 goals, 5 assists), senior forward Scott Doney (13 goals, 2 assists) and junior defender Patrick Fitzgerald earned D2CCA All-South Central Region first-team honors as announced Wednesday afternoon. Freshman midfielder Carlos Flores (5 goals, 8 assists) was on the second team.
- Bocquet became the second consecutive Midwestern State Mustang to earn Heartland Conference Player of the Year honors following Gabriel Cavalcante.
- Carlos Flores (garnered Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year accolades joining Bocquet, senior forward Scott Doney and junior defender Patrick Fitzgerald.
- Defenders Jordan Speed and Alex Mullet joined senior goalkeeper Richard Goss on the second team.
- Midwestern State ranks fourth in NCAA Division II in team goals against average (0.438) and is sixth in team shutout percentage (0.600) including 12 clean sheets.
- Goss ranks seventh in NCAA Division II with a 0.557 goals against average and is 22nd with a .818 save percentage.
- Redshirt-freshman keeper Taylor Lampe has also been superb allowing three goals in 969 minutes for a 0.28 goals against average with a glistening .903 save percentage in 11 starts posting seven clean sheets.
- On the attack, MSU ranks 20th in total goals nationally with 44 and is 30th in scoring offense with 2.20 goals per game.
- Midwestern State and Colorado School of Mines meet for the 13th time on the pitch Thursday afternoon at Stang Park.
- The Mustangs own a 7-5 edge in the series which dates back to the 2001 season, but the Orediggers have won three of the last five including a heartbreaking 4-3 win in the last meeting in the 2015 South Central Regional final at Stang Park. It was CSM's first win in five tries in Wichita Falls.
- It's the fourth postseason meeting between the programs – all at Stang Park. MSU won 3-1 over No. 3 Colorado School of Mines in 2010 and 1-0 in 2013.
- The Orediggers claimed both regular season and postseason tournament titles in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference under interim coach Greg Mulholland.
- Mines is on an 11-match unbeaten streak advancing to the second round past No. 14 St. Edward's 6-5 in penalty kicks after playing the Hilltoppers to a scoreless draw Saturday in Austin.
- D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year John Haist leads the Orediggers' attack into the regional finals. The junior from Wantage, England is ranks second in nation with 22 goals. He has scored multiple goals six times with an NCAA II-best nine game winners. Haist is second only to Cal Baptist striker Aidan Apodaca (27 goals).
- CSM senior midfielder Nikolaus Grotz (3 goals, 9 assists) also earned D2CCA first-team honors.
- The Orediggers boasted three All-RMAC first-teamers in Haist, Grotz and sophomore forward Trevor Amann (8 goals, 6 assists).
- The winner of the South Central Region championship takes on the West Region final winner between No. 2 California Baptist and Cal Poly Pomona in the national quarterfinal round Saturday night at Stang Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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