Redhawks Enter WAC Tournament as No. 1 Seed: Seattle University men’s soccer (8-8-4, 7-0-3) finished the regular season with a 1-0 win vs. San Jose State on Senior Night on Nov. 9. The win sealed an undefeated conference schedule for the Redhawks, as they enter this weekend’s WAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed after clinching the WAC Regular Season Championship. SU earned a first round bye and will face the winner of No. 4 Air Force and No. 5 Houston Baptist in the semifinals on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT. To purchase tickets, call (719) 472-1895. Links to available live stats and video for the weekend will be on the men’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com. The WAC Tournament Central can also be found on WACsports.com.
SU Makes Near Sweep of WAC Postseason Honors: As voted upon by the WAC’s eight head men’s soccer coaches, Miguel Gonzalez was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Kyle Bjornethun was named WAC Freshman of the Year, and head coach Pete Fewing was named WAC Coach of the Year. Seattle U also led all teams with five All-Conference honorees including Jake Feener, Gonzalez, and Ian Hines-Ike on the First Team and Bjornethun and Bobby Segal on the Second Team.
Two of a Kind: Both the Seattle U men’s and women’s soccer teams secured the 2013 WAC Regular Season title and the No. 1 seed in their respective WAC tournaments. This brings Seattle U’s tally of WAC Regular Season titles to three in just their second year in the conference after women’s basketball completed the feat in 2012-13.
WAC Tournament: The 2013 WAC Tournament will be hosted by Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 14-17. Besides Grand Canyon, who is not yet eligible for NCAA Championships through their reclassification period, all seven other teams will advance to the conference tournament. As the Regular Season Champions, Seattle U will receive the first round bye and play their first match on Friday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. MT vs. the winner of No.4 Air Force/No.5 Houston Baptist. To purchase tickets, call (719) 472-1895. Links to available live stats and video for the weekend will be on the men’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com. The WAC Tournament Central can also be found on WACsports.com.
Jake Feener Named WAC Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4-10): Feener received Seattle U men’s soccer’s fourth WAC Player of the Week nod this season, and second of his career, for his contribution in the team’s 1-0 shutout vs. San Jose State on Senior Night. The senior made five key saves to secure the shutout, the fourth for SU this season and 10th of his career.
Scouting No. 2 Bakersfield (8-8-2, 6-3-1 WAC): Bakersfield won four of their last five conference matches to close out regular season play, nabbing the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Most recently, the Roadrunners topped UNLV, 4-3, on Senior Day on Nov. 9. Eduardo Calzada has scored a team-high six goals, also recording 14 points and 43 shots, 20 on goal. In the net, Anthony Perez has made 14 starts, recording 67 saves and a 1.87 GAA. During regular season play, the Redhawks topped CSUB in Bakersfield, 2-1, on Oct. 20 and ended in a draw, 2-2, in Seattle on Oct. 13. CSUB will face No. 7 Kansas City in the second quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. MT,
Scouting No. 3 UNLV (7-10-1, 5-4-1 WAC): Bakersfield topped UNLV, 4-3, on Nov. 9 to snap a five-game unbeaten streak for the Rebels. Prior to the regular season finale, UNLV’s last loss came on Oct. 18 vs. Seattle U, 2-0. Rodrigo Fuentes has scored a team-high six goals, also recording four assists, 16 points, and 39 shots. Ryan Harding has made 11 starts in goal, recording a 0.91 GAA, making 50 saves and allowing just 10 goals. UNLV will face No. 6 San Jose State in the third quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. MT.
Scouting No. 4 Air Force (3-10-5, 3-2-5 WAC): Air Force lost at Grand Canyon in the regular season finale, 1-0, on Nov. 8 after a previous six-game unbeaten streak, including four straight ties from Oct. 20-Nov. 1, including a 1-1 tie at Seattle U. Zachary Modly and Ryan Ward led Air Force with three goals apiece, while Matt Payne took a team-high 40 shots, 22 on goal. Three different goalkeepers saw playing time for the Falcons, led by Jake Schenk who made 14 appearances, allowing 22 goals and recording 75 saves and a 1.53 GAA. No. 4 Air Force faces No. 5 Houston Baptist in the first quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. MT, the winner of which will face No. 1 Seattle U in the semifinals.
Scouting No. 5 Houston Baptist (9-6-2, 4-4-2 WAC): Houston Baptist finished out the season with a pair of big wins, including a 5-0 shutout vs. San Jose State on Nov. 3 and a 4-1 win vs. Kansas City on Senior Day (Nov. 9). The Redhawks and Huskies played to a 1-1 draw on Nov. 1 in their only meeting of the regular season. Tobenna Uzo scored a team-high 11 goals, recording 22 points and 42 shots for HBU. In goal, Kevin Suarez and George Kelley split time, recording 36 and 18 saves, respectively, both earning a sub-2.00 GAA. No. 5 Houston Baptist faces No. 4 Air Force in the first quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. MT, the winner of which will face No. 1 Seattle U in the semifinals.
Scouting No. 6 San Jose State (3-12-3, 3-6-1 WAC): The Spartans dropped a 1-0 contest to the Redhawks in the final regular season match most recently on Nov. 8. Entering this weekend’s tournament as the No. 6 seed, SJSU lost their last two matches of the season but went 2-1 in their three prior matches, topping Grand Canyon and UMKC and tying Air Force. Through regular season play, Rory Knibbs leads the Spartans with seven goals, 16 points, and 40 shots while, in goal, Emmanuel Espinosa has made 12 starts recording a team-leading 1.45 GAA. Seattle U earned two of four shutouts in 2013 vs. the Spartans, also winning on Oct. 5, 4-0, in San Jose. The Spartans will face UNLV in the third quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. MT.
Scouting No. 7 Kansas City (4-10-4, 3-6-1 WAC): Kansas City. the No. 7 seed, comes into the conference tournament on a five-game losing streak before which they won three straight (twice vs. Grand Canyon and a win vs. Air Force on Oct. 13, 18, and 20). Jordan Rideout led the Kangaroos with seven goals, 14 points, and 58 shots while, in goal, Chris McGaughey made 15 starts, recording a 1.97 GAA. In conference play, Seattle U recently topped UMKC on Nov. 3, 4-3, in a come-from-behind win in Kansas City. UMKC faces No. 2 Bakersfield in the second quarterfinal match on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. MT.