SALEM, W.Va. (Nov. 12) – The Salem International University men's soccer team will face Post Univeristy for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Championship Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m.
Live Coverage: Post University will provide
live statistics for the title game.
Live video of the title game will also be available, but it has not yet been determined if it will be through Post University or the ECAC.
ECAC Tournament: Post, the defending ECAC Champion, was awarded the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the title match. No. 3 seed Salem International advanced to the title game with a 3-0 win over Alderson Broaddus on Thursday night.
Tigers in the ECAC Tournament: The Tigers are making their third appearance in the ECAC Championships since 2011 and second-consecutive visit to the title match. Last year, Salem International advanced to the championship game with a 3-2 win over Wheeling Jesuit, before falling 2-0 in the title game to Post. The Tigers also made an appearance in the 2011 tournament, earning a 2-2 draw against Lake Erie, who advanced on penalty kicks.
Scouting Salem International: Salem International enters the 2015 ECAC Tournament with a 9-8-1 overall record. The Tigers are led by senior
Javier Ruiz (Mexico City, Mexico/Universidad del Valle de Mexico), a All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) First Team selection, who led the team and ranked second in the league with nine goals, 21 points and a team-high 52 shots on goal.
Junior
Samir Amzil (France) ranks second on the squad with six goals, two of which came in the 3-0 win over Alderson Broaddus Thursday night. Juniors
Alexandre Costet (Saint Etienne, France/Leonard de Vinci), who earned All-G-MAC Second Team honors, and
Mohamed Ali Khalaf (Jabriya, Kuwait/Jabriya Indian School) rank third and fourth on the team with five and four goals, respectively.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper
Dom Gillespie (Whitley Bay, England/Whitley Bay) has posted a 1.74 GAA with 38 saves and a 3-4 record to help the Tigers qualify for the ECAC Tournament. Senior goalkeeper
Elliot Cook (Nottingham, England/South Nottinghamshire Academy) started the team's first 10 games before a hand injury derailed his senior campaign. He made his first appearance since injuring his hand on Oct. 5 in the ECAC play-in game agianst Alderson Broaddus and posted two saves and a shutout win.
The defensive backfield in front of Gillespie and Cook has been a big key to his success, led by sophomore
Jan Deters (Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Fridericianum), an All-G-MAC Second Team selection, who started all 19 games and played a team-high 1,758 minutes this season.
Scouting Post: Post, members of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), enter with a 12-6-1 overall mark this season. The Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the CACC Tournament behind a 9-3 league record, but were upset in the semifinals by No. 6 Bloomfield in overtime.
Post tallied 39 goals this season (2.1 per game) to tie for second in the CACC in scoring and finished with a 1.17 team GAA to slot third in their league.
Opponents will need to keep an eye on Anthony Asante, the Eagles leading scorer and All-CACC First Team honoree this season. Asante ranked third in the CACC with 14 goals. Tiago Martins, a second-team selection, ranked second on the team with seven goals this season, while Jacob Butler-Bowdon, another Eagle who earned a second-team all-conference nod, was the top setup man on Post with seven assists.
The Eagles made a change in goal after a 2-4 start that seemed to jumpstart their season. Goalkeeper Jon Hanlon started the team's final 13 games and delivered a 10-2-1 record and a 0.95 GAA. He made 60 saves and posted five shutouts after taking over the net duties, earning an All-CACC Second Team honor in the process.
Tigers and Eagles in ECAC Tournament: Salem International and Post played in last season's ECAC Division II Championship game, with the Eagles earning a 2-0 win. Post goalkeeper Jon Hanlon made five saves in the win, as the Tigers out-shot the Eagles 18-10 for the match. Post scored second half goals in the 58th and 88th minutes to earn the victory.
Looking Ahead: The match will be the final game of the 2015 season for both teams, with the winner claiming the ECAC Division II Championship. Salem International is seeking its first-ever ECAC title, while Post is looking to retain the title for a second-straight season.
