Men’s Soccer to host NCAA Tournament game<br><i>Watch team’s reaction to being selected</i>
Lions make field of 32 for first time in school history
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - For the first time in school history, Mars Hill (11-5-1) has earned a bid to the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship, it was announced on Monday evening. The Championship, selected by the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee, consists of 32 teams.
Mars Hill earned the four-seed in Super Region Two and will host fifth-seed Montevallo (12-4-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Ticket prices for the match are $4 for adults, $2 for students with valid student ID and $1 for children six years of age and under.
Montevallo was the runner-up in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. This is the Falcons' sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament; they are 2-3-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament competition.
UM and MHC have faced three similar opponents in the form of Young Harris College, North Georgia College and State University and Lincoln Memorial University. The Falcons hold a 2-0-1 record against the three teams, while MHC has a 2-1-0 record. UM defeated YHC 3-2 in double overtime at home, while MHC lost 1-0 on the road. The Falcons won 2-1 at home against NGCSU, while MHC won 3-0 at home. UM tied LMU 0-0 on the road, while MHC won 4-0 at home.
The Lions are led by forward Stephen Bivens who has eight goals and two assists. Rury Caulfield, a midfielder, has six goals and three assists. Zac Scott is the goalkeeper and has a 0.65 GAA and a .855 save percentage, both of which lead the South Atlantic Conference.
The Falcons are led by Shane Howard who has eight goals on the season which is tied for seventh in the PBC. Phil Jackson is tied for fourth in the conference in assists with five and also has six goals on the season. Goalkeeper Brendan Ledgeway leads the conference in save percentage (.815) and goals against average (0.75).
Both teams make their mark on defense as both goalkeepers rank among the best in the NCAA in terms of goals against average and save percentage. All five of the MHC losses have come by just one goal while 10 of their 11 wins have come by two or more goals.
The Lions are a disciplined team and have received just 18 cards all season and have yet to see a red card, while the Falcons have 33 cards including six red cards.
The winner of the Mars Hill/Montevallo match will travel to face top-seed Coker (18-2) on Friday in the Southeast Regional Semifinals.
Flagler (15-3-2) earned the two-seed in the Southeast Region portion of the Super Region Two bracket and will face the winner of Anderson/Lees-McRae on Friday in the other Southeast Regional Semifinal match. The Trojans (17-3), the third seed, will host the Bobcats (14-5-1) on Wednesday.
The NCAA Division II Championship will conclude on Dec. 3 in Pensacola, Fla.
