Men's Soccer Release #12 - Championship Semifinal Preview

Nov. 7, 2005

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NCAA Tournament on the Line in League Championship

An automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament is up for grabs at the Horizon League Championship. Semifinal-round action is set for Friday (Nov. 11) , with No. 2 seed UW-Milwaukee facing sixth- seeded UW-Green Bay at 11:30 a.m. (EST), and top seed Detroit hosting fourth-seeded Wright State at 2 p.m.

The winner of Sunday's (Nov. 13) title match claims the League trophy and that automatic entry into the 48-team NCAA field.

UW-Milwaukee seeks its fifth consecutive trip to the national summit, earning an at-large berth in 2001 before winning the League Championship in each of the past three years. Regular-season League champion Detroit could make its first NCAA appearance since 1996.

UW-Green Bay looks for its first NCAA trip in 22 years and the second of its Division I tenure. Wright State has never advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Horizon League Champions Through the Years (NCAA Tournament Results)
1987 Evansville (lost to Clemson, 2-1)
1988 Notre Dame (lost to Southern Methodist, 2-0)
1989 Evansville (did not qualify)
1990 Evansville (def. Boston Univ., 1-0 [OT]; def. Indiana, 1-0; lost to Rutgers, 1-0, in semifinal)
1991 Evansville (lost to Wisconsin, 1-0)
1992 Evansville (lost to Indiana, 4-1)
1993 Notre Dame (lost to Wisconsin, 3-1)
1994 Notre Dame (lost to Indiana, 1-0 [OT])
1995 Butler (def. Indiana, 1-0; lost to Portland, 4-1)
1996 Detroit (lost to Bowling Green, 4-0)
1997 Butler (lost to Indiana, 2-1 [OT])
1998 Butler (def. Cincinnati, 1-0 [OT]; lost to Indiana, 2-1 [OT])
1999 UIC (lost to Saint Louis, 3-2)
2000 UIC (def. Bradley, 1-0; lost to Stanford, 6-0)
2001 Butler (lost to Michigan State, 2-1)
2002 UW-Milwaukee (def. Oakland, 2-1; lost to Creighton, 3-2)
2003 UW-Milwaukee (def. Western Michigan, 4-1; lost to Notre Dame, 4-1)
2004 UW-Milwaukee (def. San Francisco, 3-2; lost to UC Santa Barbara, 2-1 [OT])

Horizon League Teams Earning At-Large Berths Into the NCAA Tournament
1987Saint Louis (lost to San Diego State, 2-1)
1988Evansville (lost to Fresno State, 1-1 [PKs])
1989Saint Louis (lost to Fresno State, 2-1)
1990Saint Louis (def. George Mason, 1-0; lost to Indiana, 2-1)
2001UW-Milwaukee (lost to Missouri-Kansas City, 2-1 [OT])


Semifinalists Make Case for NCAA Tournament Berth

The Horizon League is one of 23 Division I conferences whose champions receive automatic berths into the NCAA tournament, but there are 25 at-large spots available to teams not winning their league tournament.

Two of the four teams remaining in the chase for the Horizon League Championship can make a case for one of those at-large berths. Here is a look at what the four semifinalists have accomplished, both in 2005 and in previous seasons:

Detroit (#1 seed, 11-5-2)


Record since Oct. 1: 7-2-0
Road / Neutral Record: 7-2-2

Top Victories:
def. (11-5-2) Northern Illinois, 2-0 (Sept. 18 / A)
def. (10-4-2) UIC, 3-2 (Sept. 25 / A)
def. (10-4-4) UW-Milwaukee, 2-1 (Oct. 2 / A)

The Titans won the regular-season League championship with a 6-1-0 mark. Detroit's roster includes the League Player of the Year (junior Andrew Ornoch, also the Offensive Player of the Year), the Defensive Player of the Year (senior Jason Massoglia) and the Goalkeeper of the Year (sophomore Sasha Boskovic). Ornoch leads the League with 23 points, with Massoglia adding seven goals. Boskovic shares the League lead with six shutouts.

Detroit started the year at 0-1-2 but has posted an 11-4-0 mark since Sept. 4. That includes a seven-match winning streak that was snapped by a 2-1, overtime loss to Oral Roberts on Oct. 23. Detroit made its only NCAA tournament appearance in 1995.

UW-Milwaukee (#2 seed, 11-4-4)


Record since Oct. 1: 6-3-1
Road / Neutral Record: 6-2-3

Top Results:
def. (13-4-1) Bradley, 3-2(Sept. 13 / H)
def. (11-5-2) Northern Illinois, 1-0(Oct. 16 / A)
tied (8-7-4) Oregon State, 1-1(Sept. 23 / N)

The Panthers closed the regular season defeating Marquette 4-0 (Oct. 31 / H) behind Dale Weiler, who returned to action after missing ten games due to a knee injury. He re-joins a line-up featuring senior Neil Dombrowski (nine goals, four assists) and freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum, who ranks among the national leaders with a 0.50 goals-against average.

UWM has lost only one match in regulation this season (3-2 to Detroit on Oct. 2). The Panthers are 0-3-4 in overtime conteststs, but 11-1-0 in matches decided in 90 minutes.

The Panthers also have a strong history in the NCAA Tournament, as one of only ten teams to post victories in the national summit in each of the last three years.

Trends to Watch for This Weekend

UW-Milwaukee has reached the final in each of the last four years, winning the last three against three different schools. The Panthers defeated Detroit last fall, Butler in 2003 and Cleveland State in 2002.

Detroit won the League title in 1996, defeating Butler in the final.

Wright State reached the championship match in 1998, losing to Butler.

UW-Green Bay is in the semifinals for only the third time since joining the League in 1994. The Phoenix has never advanced to the final.

Detroit has allowed only one first-half goal in its last five matches. The Titans had also scored in the second half of eight consecutive contests before Saturday's outing.

UW-Milwaukee has not allowed a first-half goal in its last ten matches, going back to Oct. 2. The Panthers have outscored opponents 17-5 in the first 45 minutes of matches this year, and 17-4 overall since a 2-1 loss to Detroit on Oct. 2.

Saturday was the sixth time this year UW-Green Bay has scored three or more goals in a match, the most by a Horizon League school this year. UWGB has held six of its last seven opponents scoreless in the first half, although three of those contests were 0-0 at intermission.

Of Wright State's 24 goals, nearly 30 percent (seven) have come in the final 15 minuntes of the match. Eleven of the Raiders' 19 matches have been decided by one goal, yet WSU is the only League school that has not yet played an overtime match this season.

Panthers Put Horizon League in Elite Company

UW-Milwaukee is one of only ten teams to win NCAA Tournament games in each of the last three years The Panthers ventured west to defeat San Francisco 3-2 to open the 2004 NCAA summit before falling 2-1 in overtime at UC Santa Barbara. In 2003, UWM knocked off Western Michigan in the opening round before Notre Dame eliminated the Horizon League champions by that same score. The 2002 Tournament included UW-Milwaukee's 2-1, first-round triumph over Oakland (Mich.). Creighton eliminated the Panthers by a 3-2 score in the second round that year.

TEAMS PLAYING IN EACH OF THE LAST FOUR NCAA TOURNAMENTS
(WITH CONSECUTIVE-SEASON STREAK LISTED)

Akron (4 in a row, since 2001)
Coastal Carolina (4 in a row, since 2001)
Connecticut (7 in a row, since 1998)
Creighton (13 in a row, since 1992)
Florida Inernational (4 in a row, since 2001)
Indiana (18 in a row, since 1987)
Loyola Marymount (4 in a row, since 2001)
Maryland (4 in a row, since 2001)
North Carolina (6 in a row, since 1999)
Notre Dame (4 in a row, since 2001)
Portland (4 in a row, since 2001)
St. John's (13 in a row, since 1992)
Southern Methodist (11 in a row, since 1994)
UCLA (22 in a row, since 1983)
Virginia (24 in a row, since 1981)
Wake Forest (4 in a row, since 2001)
UW-Milwaukee (4 in a row, since 2001)

ALL-TIME (DIVISION I) NCAA TOURNAMENT RECORDS
School (Years)W-L-TGF-GA
Butler (1995-97-98-2001)2-4-06-10
Cleveland State (1969-70-74-75-77-78-79-80)4-8-014-28
Detroit (1996)0-1-00-4
UIC (1999-2000)1-2-03-9
UW-Green Bay (1983)0-1-00-7
UW-Milwaukee (1979-80-90-2001-02-03-04)3-7-016-23

Note: All tournament appearances by Cleveland State and UW-Green Bay predate those schools' entries into the League. UW-Milwaukee is 3-4-0 (14 GF, 15 GA) as a Horizon League member. UW-Green Bay played in four consecutive Division II tournaments (1975-78), reaching the Final Four in 1975 and 1977, while UIC lost in the first round of its only Division II appearance (1974). Loyola and Wright State have never reached the NCAA Tournament.

Summary of Saturday's Quarterfinal Matches

Detroit 1, Cleveland State 0
Jason Massoglia's goal in the 13th minute proved to be the only goal for top-seeded Detroit. Massoglia headed home a Chris Fudge throw-in, beating CSU goalkeeper Anthony DeMarco at 12:24 for his seventh goal of the year to give the Titans a 1-0 advantage. Just as they did during the regular-season meeting (a 3-2 UDM victory), Cleveland State kept Detroit close but could not solve the Titan defense. Sasha Boskovic made two saves as CSU suffered its fifth one-goal loss of the year. Nine of Detroit's 11 victories have come by one goal each. Detroit outshot the Vikings 12-5 but built only a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.

UW-Milwaukee 1, Butler 0
Tenzin Rampa picked the right time for his first goal of the season, a diving header for the eventual game-winner. Dale Weiler, who returned to action this week after missing five weeks and ten matches due to a knee injury, set up Rampa's strike at 28:58 to give the Panthers a 1-0 advantage at the break. The UW-Milwaukee defense preserved that narrow advantage, with freshman goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum making five saves and Panther defenders clearing two other attempts out of danger. UW-Milwaukee claimed an 11-10 edge in shots although Butler took four of the match's seven corner kicks.

UW-Green Bay 3, UIC 0
Joshua Okoampa scored twice and Mike McCormack added an insurance marker as UW-Green Bay defeated third-seeded UIC. Okoampa opened the scoring at 31:44 when his shot was deflected and beat Flame netminder Jeff Engelbrecht for a 1-0 advantage. Okoampa stretched the margin to 2-0 midway through the second half, popping a quick shot after Adam Ben-Zikri's corner kick at 66:41. McCormack's first goal of the season at 81:26 to finish the scoring. UIC outshot the Phoenix 10-8 and owned a 9-5 advantage in corners, but Adam Stikl registered five saves to post his second shutout of the year.

Wright State 1, Loyola 0
Josh Grossman's goal midway through the first half stood up for fourth-seeded Wright State. Grossman's fifth goal of the year came 20:41 into the match from near the top of the penalty area. Grossman steered home Tony Labudovski's crossing pass into the box, beating Brad Sommer for the only goal of the contest. Loyola dominated the stat sheet, posting a 14-5 advantage in shots (including 8-2 in the opening 45 minutes) but WSU's Jason Balach posted his fourth shutout of the year with six saves, including one on Steven Graner's attempt with approximately 90 seconds remaining.

Summary of Regular-Season Matches Between Semifinal Opponents

Wright State 1, Detroit 0
Paul-Anthony Perez hit the net midway through the first half and Jason Balach preserved that margin with eight saves as Wright State shut out host Detroit, 1-0 (Sept. 23, at Detroit). Josh Grossman had the assist on Perez' first goal of the year at the 18:45 mark, with Balach and the WSU defense doing the rest. Detroit had a 15-8 edge in shots and took 16 corner kicks but could not break through the Raider back line as the Titans suffered their only League loss of the season.

UW-Green Bay 1, UW-Milwaukee 0
Freshman Jamari Brinson scored 6:14 into overtime to lift UW-Green Bay past visiting UW-Milwaukee, 1-0 (Oct. 26, at Green Bay). UW-Green Bay carried the play for much of the night, outshooting the Panthers 18-8 for the game. But the score remained deadlocked until Bati Tola fed Brinson for a blast past Panther netminder Grant Fernstrum, giving the Phoenix the Chancellor's Cup traveling trophy. UW-Milwaukee had held the Cup for the past five years. UWGB's Adam Stikl earned the shutout in his first college start with one save.