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MUSOVSKI AND LANGSTON NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
UNLV's Danny Musovski and Seattle U's Sam Langston have been named Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for Nov. 2 - Nov. 8.
Musovski, a sophomore from Henderson, Nev. (Liberty HS), rose to the occasion on Saturday night, scoring two goals to lead the Rebels to a 4-0 win over Grand Canyon and the third seed in the upcoming WAC Men's Soccer Tournament. The two goals gave him a league-high 14 for the season, as well as a WAC-best 32 points.
Langston, a junior from Sammamish, Wash. (Eastlake HS), assisted on both of the Redhawks' goals in a 2-0 win over Utah Valley and held things down in the backfield to help Seattle U record its eighth shutout of the season.
Other offensive nominees: Seattle U's David Olsen scored both goals in a 2-0 win at second-place Utah Valley … Houston Baptist's Thilo Borgmann set up the Huskies' first goal and scored the eventual game winner in a 2-1 win at UTRGV … UT Rio Grande Valley's Archie Massen scored his first career goal on senior day as the Vaqueros fell to Houston Baptist.
Other defensive nominees: CSU Bakersfield's Nicolas Clever made five saves as the Roadrunners played to a scoreless draw at San José State to clinch a spot in this week's WAC Men's Soccer Tournament … Houston Baptist's Chance Pope made two saves to help the Huskies reach the WAC Tournament with a 2-1 win at UTRGV.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Seattle U finished the regular season leading the WAC in shots (335), points (111), goals (42), goals allowed (15), goals against average (0.79) and shutouts (8). Incarnate Word and UNLV finished tied for the lead in assists with 28 while first-year program UTRGV led the league in saves with 85.
Individually, Seattle U's David Olsen led the WAC in shots (76). UNLV's Danny Musovski was tops in points (32) and gaols (14). Utah Valley's Aaron Meyer finished the regular season with 11 assists. In goal, Seattle U's Shane Haworth recorded the top goals against average (0.75) and save percentage (.791). UTRGV's Leo Castillo saved a WAC-best 77 shots while Haworth also led the conference in shutotus with eight.
In conference-only play, Seattle U also led the league in shots (173), points (64), goals (24), shutouts (4) and tied with San José State for the lead in goals allowed (10). SJSU had the top goals against average in conference play at 0.95 while UNLV posted a league-best 19 assists. Individually, Seattle U's Olsen led the WAC in shots (46), points (21) and goals (10). UVU's Meyer had seven assists in WAC play while SJSU keeper Felix Peterman led the league in goals against average (0.83) and save percentage (.786). Grand Canyon's Kendyl Day led the WAC in saves with 44.
SETTING THE FIELD
Top-seed Seattle U and second-seed Utah Valley headed into the final weekend already knowing their playoff fate but for the other four teams that will make up the bracket, it came down to the final game of the season. UNLV clinched the third seed with a 4-0 win over Grand Canyon while Houston Baptist used a 2-1 win at UTRGV to earn the fourth seed. HBU will play fifth-seed CSU Bakersfield, who played to a scoreless draw at San José State. The Spartans also punched their ticket with the draw and will be the sixth and final seed in the tournament which begins on Thursday at Durwood Soccer Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
REPPING THE RPI RANKINGS
Seattle U climbed into the top 10 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, announced on Monday. The Redhawks sit at ninth, putting the team in strong position to host a match in the NCAA Tournament as well as potentially earn one of 16 first-round byes. Utah Valley moved up six spots to 41 while UNLV stayed steady at 76. CSU Bakersfield dropped eight spots to 100 while Air Force fell 13 spots to 120. Houston Baptist slid to 127, followed by Missouri-Kansas City (132), Incarnate Word (141), San José State (145), Grand Canyon (146) and UT Rio Grande Valley (193).
IN THE POLLS
Heading into the 2015 WAC Men's Soccer Tournament, Seattle U is ranked 11th nationally in both the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 and the College Soccer News Top 30. The Redhawks are 15th in the latest National Soccer Coaches' Association (NSCAA) Top 25. Utah Valley is among those receiving votes in the CSN Top 30.
REGIONALLY RANKED
In the latest NSCAA West Regional Ranking, the top two stayed steady as Denver and Seattle U remained one-two. Utah Valley fell one spot to four while UNLV moved up a spot to five. CSU Bakersfield stayed at nine to round out the WAC representatives.
AMONG THE BEST
When it comes to putting the ball in the net, the WAC is among the best conferences in the country, ranking second behind the Atlantic Coast Conference in total goals with 305 goals. The WAC is also second in assists (243), second in game-winning goals (95), third in saves (749) and fourth in goals allowed (278).
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Statistically one of the top men's soccer conferences in the country this season, the Western Athletic Conference is also shining in the classroom as 10 student-athletes have been honored as Academic All-District selections as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Houston Baptist led all teams with three players selected. Sophomore defender Bryan Brody, senior defender Sebastian Henke and senior forward George Kelley represented the Huskies. Incarnate Word had two players on the District 7 team as senior defender Andrew Grossman and senior forward Dylan Kelly were honored.
Utah Valley put two players on the District 8 team with the Wolverines represented by sophomore midfielder Paul Hoffmeister and junior midfielder Skyler Milne. UNLV senior forward Corey Ackley and senior defender Bradley Kamdem represented the Rebels while Seattle U senior forward Hamza Haddadi was also honored for outstanding achievement in the classroom.
SCORING IN THE CLASSROOM
Posting a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, four WAC men's soccer teams have been honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for success in the classroom.Houston Baptist, Grand Canyon, Seattle U and Utah Valley represented the WAC on the list of 305 spanning all divisions. It is the second time earning the honor for all four schools. In addition, the women's teams at all four schools were also honored by the NSCAA.
TOP OF THE CLASS
CSU Bakersfield midfielder Christian Duarte was selected as one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes listed as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athelte must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competiton.
GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!
Seattle U forward Hamza Haddadi made the most of his season opener, tying the WAC record for goals in a game with four. The feat was last completed by New Mexico's Justin Sells on 1996 against Fort Lewis.
WAC MEN'S SOCCER EXPANDS TO 11 TEAMS
For 2015, the WAC will be expanding to 11 teams with the addition of UT Rio Grande Valley. The league is made up of both full time members of the WAC and affiliates: Air Force (affiliate), CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist (affiliate), Incarnate Word (affiliate), Missouri-Kansas City, San José State (affiliate), Seattle U, UTRGV and Utah Valley. Regular-season play will consist of a single round-robin format between all 11 teams for a total of 10 matches. The points system will be used to determine conference standings. Each team will receive three points for a win and one point for a tie. The top six teams will advance to the WAC tournament Nov. 12-13 and 15. Grand Canyon and Incarnate Word are ineligible due to their transition from Division II to Division I.
ONES TO WATCH
Three WAC men's soccer players have already found themselves among the top college soccer players in the country as CSU Bakersfield's Christian Duarte and Julian Zamora and UNLV's Rodrigo Fuentes were among 30 players mentioned on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy watch list. The MAC Hermann Trophy goes to the top male and female college soccer players, as voted upon by coaches across the country.
REDHAWKS AND REBELS FAVORITES TO WIN WAC TITLE
Seattle U narrowly edged past UNLV in the preseason coaches poll with both the Redhawks and Rebels picking up five first-place votes. CSU Bakersfield earned the remaining first place vote as the Roadrunners were picked third in the preseason poll. Utah Valley earned the fourth place position ahead of fifth-place San José State. Missouri-Kansas City and Incarnate Word tied for sixth place followed by Grand Canyon, Air Force, Houston Baptist and first-year program UTRGV.
NCAA OPPONENTS
WAC teams will play in 14 matches against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. Four of the matches will be played at WAC home sites with Seattle U hosting two and Missouri-Kansas City and Utah Valley each hosting one. Seattle U leads all teams with four matches against postseason participants, followed by two each for Utah Valley, Missouri-Kansas City and San José State. CSU Bakersfield, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist and UTRGV will all play one.
Aug. 29 CSU Bakersfield at Denver
Sep. 3 Seattle U vs. Northwestern (at Spokane, Wash.)
Sep. 4 Missouri-Kansas City at SIU Edwardsville
Sep. 10 San José State at Stanford
Sep. 13 Houston Baptist vs. Hartwick (at Spokane, Wash.)
Sep. 27 Seattle U at Oregon State
Sep. 20 Dartmouth at Seattle U
Sep. 20 Utah Valley at Denver
Sep. 20 San José State at San Diego
Sep. 20 UTRGV at CSU Fullerton
Sep. 21 Tulsa at Missouri-Kansas City
Sep. 24 Washington at Seattle U
Sep. 24 CSU Fullerton at Utah Valley
Sep. 27 Grand Canyon at CSU Fullerton