#1 Midwestern State (20-0-2) vs. Cal Poly Pomona (17-5)
NCAA Division II National Quarterfinal
Saturday, Nov. 17, 2017 | 7 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 17-10-3 all-time in the NCAA Division II playoffs (dating back to 2002) including an 9-2-1 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 20-0-2 with a 2-0 win over No. 8 Colorado School of Mines in the NCAA Division II South Central Region championship match Thursday at Stang Park. MSU went 26 matches without a loss between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
- Midwestern has won nine 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 274-56-32 (.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, 9 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 1,059 minutes for a 0.25 goals against average with a glistening .919 save percentage in 12 starts posting eight clean sheets.
- On the attack, MSU ranks 20th in total goals nationally with 49 and is 30th in scoring offense with 2.23 goals per game.
- Midwestern State and Cal Poly Pomona meet for the first time on the pitch Saturday night at Stang Park.
- Midwestern State is 5-7-1 all-time against the current membership of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) going 2-0 against Cal State-Los Angeles, 1-1 against Cal State-San Bernardino, 1-1-1 against Sonoma State, 1-2 against Chico State, 0-2 against Cal State-Dominguez Hills and 0-1 against UC-San Diego.
- The Mustangs have played a CCAA opponent in each of its previous six trips to the national quarterfinals. MSU is 0-1-1 on its home pitch advancing past Sonoma State (T, 2-2 – 5-4/PK) in penalty kicks in 2007 and falling to Chico State (3-1) in 2003.
- MSU claimed its lone win in the NCAA D2 national quarterfinal round over a CCAA side in 2010 – a 5-0 rout at Chico State.
- MSU advanced to its sixth national quarterfinal last season before bowing out to UC-San Diego, 2-1.
- Cal Poly Pomona finished as regular season runner-up to Cal State-Dominguez Hills in the CCAA regular season table then fell to Cal State-Los Angeles – 2-0 – in the CCAA postseason tournament finals.
- The Broncos have peeled off three straight wins over nationally ranked sides in the NCAA tournament beating No. 11 Simon Fraser (2-1), No. 23 Point Loma (1-0) and No. 2 California Baptist (1-0).
- CPP placed four on the D2CCA All-West Region team including senior midfielder Sergi Monso (19 goals, 11 assists), senior forward Luis Najera, Jr. (9 goals, 2 assists) and junior defender Nadeer Ghantous (3 goals) on the first time. Junior forward Jimmie Villalobos (8 goals, 4 assists) gained second-team mention.
- Monso earned 2017 CCAA Offensive Player of the Year honors. He has 41 career goals.
- Cal Poly Pomona's road to the first national finalist appearance ran through Wichita Falls in 2015. The Broncos beat No. 23 Cal State-Dominguez Hills (2-1) and Colorado School of Mines (3-2/OT) at Stang Park, then claimed a 1-0 win over Rockhurst in Pensacola, Fla. Before falling to Pfieffer (4-0) in the championship game.
- CPP improved to 3-0 all-time at Stang Park after claiming the West Region title with a 1-0 victory over No. 2 California Baptist on Thursday.
- Adam Reeves serves as the acting head coach at Cal Poly Pomona stepping in for Yossi Raz, who took over the UC-Irvine program earlier this year. Reeves is in his third season at CPP.
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