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SEATTLE U WINS WAC MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Seattle U used a stingy defense to advance through the WAC men's soccer tournament, eventually using a 2-1 win over San José State to lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon. In the opening round, the Redhawks used goals by Habib Barry, Gabriel Ruiz and Sergio Rivas to earn a 3-0 win over CSU Bakersfield. SU then faced off against host UNLV in the semifinal round and despite playing a man down for most of the second half and all of overtime, the Redhawks' Josh Adachi made a pair of saves in the shootout to send SU to the championship game. On Sunday, Seattle U earned goals from Nathan Aune and Alex Roldan to clinch its third WAC tournament title in the last five seasons.
Adachi was named MVP of the tournament and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Aune, Rivas and Roldan. SJSU's Andy Rios, Max Allen and Jonathan Partida represented the Spartans. Host UNLV was represented by seniors Danny Musovski and Kevin Partida while regular season champion Air Force picked up honors from Trey Pujats and Danny Han.
SEATTLE U BEATS WASHINGTON, FALLS TO AKRON IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
Seattle U didn't have to travel far to open the 2017 NCAA Tournament and it worked out well for the Redhawks as SU earned a 3-2 overtime win over rival Washington. After UW opened the scoring the in 24th minute, SU evened it up in the 39th minute as Sergio Rivas found Habib Barry, who finished with one touch for the equalizer. Seattle U took the lead in the 63rd minute as Medo Youssef got a ball to Rivas, who fired in the goal from 25 yards out. The Huskies evened it up in the 80th minute but Gabriel Ruiz would play hero in the 98th minute, getting a pass from Alex Roldan and firing the shot near side for the game-winner.
The Redhawks then made the trip to Akron for the second round but SU would struggle to find offense against the eventual College Cup participant Zips. Akron scored early and the Redhawks weren't able to catch up, seeing their season end in the round of 32.
AIR FORCE FALLS AT VIRGINIA TECH IN NCAA OPENING ROUND
A pair of goals in the 54th and 57th minute was all Virginia Tech needed to sneak past Air Force in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Air Force managed 15 shots and forced VT keeper Ben Lundgaard to make seven saves but the Hokies would fire off 21 shots, including 11 on frame, to secure the 2-0 win. Air Force keeper John Wendt was solid for the Falcons, making nine saves.
MOVING ON
For the fourth time in five seasons, the WAC advanced to at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Seattle U advanced to the second round with first round wins in both 2013 and 2017. The Redhawks also earned a first round bye in 2015 and earned a win to advance to the third round. In 2016, UNLV earned a penalty kick win to advance to the second round.
TOP XI
A trio of WAC men's soccer players earned All-America honors by the United Soccer Coaches association. Air Force's Tucker Bone was named a first team selection as midfielder while teammate Oscar Chacon earned third team honors at defender. Seattle U defender Nathan Aune was also a third team selection. UNLV forward Danny Musovski was named a third team All-American by College Soccer News while Bone earned second team honors from CSN.
THEY'RE SMART
Houston Baptist defender Bryan Brody repeated as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, earned third team honors. Seattle U defender Nathan Aune and CSU Bakersfield defender Jamie Carey-Morrell were named United Soccer Coaches All-West Scholars.
BEST IN THE WEST
The Western Athletic Conference dominated the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region selections, earning over half of the selections and seven of 11 first-team honors.
Air Force led the way with four first-team selections. Midfielder Tucker Bone, defender Oscar Chacon, forward Austin Dewing and goalkeeper John Wendt represented the regular season champions on the first team. Senior midfielder Trey Pujats earned second-team honors for the Falcons.
Tournament champion Seattle U had two first-team selections in defender Nathan Aune and midfielder Alex Roldan. Junior midfielder Sergio Rivas was named a second-team selection while goalkeeper Josh Adachi and defender Anthony Ayala represented the Redhawks on the third team All-West Region.
UNLV forward Danny Musovski was the final WAC honoree on the first team. He was joined in recognition by midfielder Timo Mehlich, who earned second team honors.
Grand Canyon forward Niki Jackson was named a second team selection as was Kansas City forward Eric McWoods. CSU Bakersfield defender Jamie Carey-Morrell was named a third team selection and was joined by San Jose State's Andy Rios and Utah Valley's Paul Hoffmeister.
...AND EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO
With wins on the road at San José State and CSU Bakersfield, Air Force clinched its first ever WAC men's soccer title last weekend. Previous to this season, the Falcons' best finish in WAC play was a second-place finish in 1996, finishing just two points behind Fresno State.
REWRITING HISTORY
Several records were broken in 2017 and a handful of outstanding careers came to a close at or near the top of the career lists. UNLV senior forward Danny Musovski set new marks for points in a game (9), points in a conference game (7), points in a WAC season (22), goals in a career (47), points in a career (117), career goals in WAC games (28) and points in WAC games (66). Seattle U's Alex Roldan set new records for shots in a season (101) and shots in a WAC season (51). SU's Josh Adachi tied for the record for shutouts in a season with 10. As a team, Seattle U set a new mark for shots in a season (427) and shots in a WAC season (214). Regular season champion Air Force set the new mark for goals-against average at 0.66.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Air Force finished the season leading the WAC in least goals allowed (13), goals against average (0.63) and tied with Seattle U for the lead in shutouts (10). SU also led the league in shots (427), corners (154). goals scored (39) and points (111). UNLV was tops in assists (36) while Houston Baptist was the leader in saves (88).
Individually, Seattle U's Alex Roldan was the leader in shots with 101 and assists with eight. UNLV's Danny Musovski led the way in points (36) and goals (15). Air Force's Klint Parker had a WAC-best four game-winning goals in the regular season while teammate John Wendt was the top keeper with a 0.76 goals against average. and tied Houston Baptist's Harrison Veith for the top save percentage (.803). CSU Bakersfield's Detre Bell was the saves leader with 82. Seattle U's Josh Adachi was the leader in shutouts, finishing with 10.
In WAC-only play, Air Force again led the league in least goals allowed (7) and goals against average (0.66) and tied for the lead in shutouts (4) with Seattle U and San José State. Seattle U was also the leader in shots (214) and corners (78). UNLV was tops in points (69), goals (23) and assists (23). Houston Baptist tied the WAC record for saves in league play with 65.
Individually, SU's Roldan was the leader in shots (51), a new WAC recoord, and UNLV's Musovski was the leader in points (22) and goals (9). AF's Bone was the assist leader (6). UNLV's Timo Mehlich and UMKC's Eric McWoods tied for the lead in game-winning goals iwth three each while UTRGV's Aalto posted the top goals against average (0.78) and save percentage (.815). CSU Bakersfield's Detre Bell and Grand Canyon's Jeremy Pollard finished with 49 saves each in conference play. SU's Adachi and San José State's David Heredia tied for the lead in shutouts with four each.
ON THE MAP
The WAC once again showed that the conference belongs among the best with several teams earning national rankings throughout the course of the season. Seattle U ranked 24th in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 while Air Force was second among those listed receiving votes.
REPPING THE RPI
Air Force was 30th in the final NCAA RPI rankings while Seattle U was 39th. San José State ranked 71st while UNLV was 79th to round out WAC schools in the top 100.
TOP OF THE CLASS
Grand Canyon senior forward Niki Jackson has been announced as one of 10 finalists for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 30 men's candidates announced in September. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through Nov. 20. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Men's College Cup® championship later this fall.
HEADED HOME
Nearly six full weeks into the season, Houston Baptist finally opened its home schedule on Oct. 5 when the Huskies earned a 3-1 win over visiting Kansas City. HBU had the latest home opener of any DI men's soccer program in the country.
MUSOVSKI HITS THE JACKPOT
UNLV senior forward Danny Musovski had a match to remember on Sept. 24 against Oral Roberts, scoring four goals and assisting on another to tie the WAC record for goals in a game and set a new conference mark for points in the match with nine. He followed that perfomance up with a hat trick and an assist on Oct. 6 at San José State to tie the WAC record for points in a conference match.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Seattle U's saw a 21-game home win streak come to an end on Sept. 24 in a 2-0 loss to rival Washington.
GIVE THE FANS WHAT THEY CAME TO SEE
The 4,351 fans that showed up at Clyde Field on opening night to watch Utah Valley defeat Akron, 1-0, is the 13th-largest crowd in NCAA Division I men's soccer this season as the Wolverines rank 14th nationally in attendance with an average of 1,928. Grand Canyon ranks 17th in average attendance at 1,714. UNLV also played in front of a large crowd on opening night as 4,385 fans game to Merlo Field to see the Rebels knock off host Portland, 3-2, in double overtime.
UPSET CITY
The WAC opened up the 2017 season with five matches against teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and picked up three wins while falling in double-overtime in a fourth. Utah Valley earned a 1-0 win over 16th-ranked Akron on Friday night. Air Force outlasted 23rd-ranked Florida Gulf Coast, 3-2, on Sunday while Seattle U extended its 18-match home winning streak with a 1-0 win over 20th-ranked New Mexico. Grand Canyon played 14th-ranked Creighton tough in Omaha before falling 1-0 in double-overtime.
UNLV PICKED TO WIN 2017 TITLE
UNLV is the preseason favorite to win the 2017 Western Athletic Conference men's soccer title in a vote of the league's 11 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team.
The Rebels collected five first place votes and 90 total points to take the top spot. Defending regular season champion Utah Valley earned three first place votes and was just a point back at 89 to earn the second spot while Seattle U earned the remaining three first place votes to total 87 points for third. 2016 tournament finalist Air Force was picked fourth with 72 points followed closely by Grand Canyon in fifth with 70 points. CSU Bakersfield was sixth with 54 points and San José State was selected seventh, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley in eighth and UIW in ninth. Houston Baptist and Kansas City tied for 10th to round out the poll.
AUNE, MUSOVSKI HIGHLIGHT PRESEASON ALL-WAC SQUAD
UNLV forward Danny Musovski and Seattle U defender Nathan Aune were selected as WAC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year respectively in a vote of the league's 11 head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
Musovski is joined on the Preseason All-WAC squad by midfielder teammate Timo Mehlich while Aune is joined by midfielder teammate Sergio Rivas. Air Force has three players as forward Austin Dewing, midfielder Tucker Bone and goalkeeper John Wendt were all honored. Utah Valley had a pair selected as forward Paul Hoffmeister joined defender Giovanny Vazquez on the squad. Grand Canyon forward Niki Jackson and CSU Bakersfield defender Jamie Carey-Morrell rounded out the 11-member team.
THREE NAMED TO MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST
Utah Valley's Paul Hoffmeister, Grand Canyon's Niki Jackson and UNLV's Danny Musovski are among those on the watch list for the 2017 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy. Hoffmeister was a third-team All-American as a junior, Jackson was the 2016 WAC Offensive Player of the Year and Musovski earned 2016 WAC Tournament MVP honors.
HOFFMEISTER, MUSOVSKI NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA
A pair of WAC men's soccer players will open the year as preseason All-Americans as Utah Valley's Paul Hoffmeister was named a first team selection and UNLV's Danny Musovski earned second team honors by College Soccer News. The duo was also named to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XII Third Team.
READY TO ROLL
After playing through a four-year transition period to NCAA Division I, both Grand Canyon and UIW are eligible for the postseason this year. The Lopes are predicted to finish fifth in the regular season while the Cardinals are ninth in the preseason coaches poll.
LUCKY SEVEN
With all 11 men's soccer teams eligible for the postseason in 2017, the WAC tournament field has expanded from six teams to seven teams. The tournament also added an extra rest day between the first round and semifinal round. The regular season champion and top seed will receive the only bye in the tournament, with the other teams beginning play on Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Las Vegas. Semifinals will be played on Friday, Nov. 10 with the championship game set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12.
PLAYING THE BEST
The WAC has 23 non-conference games against participants from the 2016 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. UNLV, a 2016 postseason participant itself, is one of three schools to play four NCAA participants, making trips to Portland, New Mexico and UCLA and hosting Pacific. Utah Valley has four non-conference matches against postseason participants, hosting Akron and CSUN and traveling to San Diego State and Washington. Seattle U also has four with home games against New Mexico, Mercer and Washington and a road trip to Portland. San José State opens the season hosting defending national champion Stanford and will travel to both CSUN and Pacific. Grand Canyon will travel to Creighton and Pacific and host CSUN. UT Rio Grande Valley takes on Loyola Chicago on a neutral field at Northern Illinois before returning home to take on San Diego State later in the season. UIW will also face San Diego State in Edinburg. Air Force takes on Florida Gulf Coast at home while CSU Bakersfield travels to Pacific.
COMING SOON
California Baptist is scheduled to join the WAC for 2018-2019 competition. They will begin their four year transition process to Division 1. This will make them ineligible to compete in post season tournaments (WAC and NCAA) until 2022-2023 season.