Men’s Soccer Championship Matches:
Tuesday, Nov. 6
(6) Loyola at (3) UIC, 7 p.m. CT
(5) Milwaukee at (4) Valparaiso, 7 p.m. CT – HLN
Friday, Nov. 9
TBD vs. (2) Cleveland State, 11 a.m. ET -- HLN
TBD at (1) Detroit, 2 p.m. ET -- HLN
Sunday, Nov. 11
Horizon League Championship, 12 p.m. -- HLN
INDIANAPOLIS – Two Saturday night thrillers set the field for the 2012 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championships. Milwaukee and Loyola both won its respective ways into the field, setting up regional rivalry matches for Tuesday’s first round.
Detroit (10-8-0) wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the tournament with its 2-1 win on Friday night, winning the regular-season title after being picked last in the preseason poll. The host of the semifinals and championship, the Titans boast the leading scorer in the conference, Adam Bedell. Bedell’s 11 goals and 27 points pace the League.
Cleveland State (9-5-3) took the No. 2 seed after Detroit’s win, the program’s best seed in the League Tournament since 2002. One of the most potent offenses in the League, CSU’s 25 goals rank second only to Detroit.
In goal, Brad Stuver’s seven shutouts pace the conference, with the senior turning in a 0.89 goals-against average, the second-best in the conference.
UIC (7-7-2) finished with the No. 3 seed due to its 2-1 loss to Detroit on Friday. The Flames enter the tournament with one of the conference’s most potent offenses, led by Ivan Stanisavljevic. With eight goals, Stanisavljevic is third in the League, while his 21 points rank second.
Fourth-seeded Valparaiso (5-8-5) will play No. 5 Milwaukee (8-7-2) for the second time in 96 hours, as the Panthers took a 2-1 win over the Crusaders on Saturday night to reach the League Championship. Valpo will rely on Kyle Zobeck in net, as the keeper has turned in a 0.77 GAA.
Milwaukee will turn to Laurie Bell to lead the attack against Zobeck. Bell’s eight goals are tied with Stanisavljevic for third in the League, while his 20 points are third.
For the second straight year, Loyola (3-11-2) enters the Horizon League Tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Ramblers will be looking to duplicate their run from last season, when three consecutive wins lifted Loyola into the NCAA Tournament.
Traditionally a defensive oriented team, Loyola used four goals to get past Wright State, 4-3, on Saturday evening to qualify for the tournament.
Matches will be available on the Horizon League Network, with the semifinals and championship on Nov. 9 and 11.
