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WildCats enter tourney as the #6 seed
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Salem, VA -- Virginia Wesleyan College enters the 2009 ODAC Men’s Soccer Tournament as the top seed with the chance to host games through the ODAC finals. Hampden-Sydney College earned the second seed while Lynchburg College and Roanoke College round out the top four, sequentially. The top four teams are separated by a total of four points in the standings.
Eastern Mennonite University and Randolph College sit fifth and sixth with two points separating them in the standings. Washington and Lee University will play out of the seventh position. Guilford College’s victory on Wednesday evening vaulted the Quakers into the eighth seed by one point, securing the final place in the eight-team field.
ODAC tournament action begins Saturday, October 31, with four quarterfinal matchups to be played at the highest four seeds. The winners will play Wednesday, November 4, at the two highest remaining seeds. The ODAC Championship will take place on Saturday, November 7, on the campus of the remaining highest seed.
The WildCats (6-8-4, 4-3-3 ODAC) enter the tournament as the sixth seed and will travel to third seeded cross-town rival Lynchburg College (13-2-2, 7-1-2 ODAC) for quarterfinal play at Shellenberger Field Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The two teams met earlier this season, as the Hornets posted a 3-0 shutout win at home on September 19th. Last season, Lynchburg entered the tourney as the second seed and posted a 1-0 win off a late goal to end Randolph's first postseason run in school history.
Randolph enters the match with three different players reaching the double-digit point plateau. Sophomore midfielder Timothy Songer leads the attack with seven goals and two assists with a team-high 43 shots. Junior forward Eddy Ratianarivo follows with 12 points on four goals and four assists. Sophomore midfielder Nick Hudson has enjoyed a break-out season for the WildCats finishing the regular season with 11 points on four goals and three assists.
Randolph goalie Aaron Humphreys boasts a 1.26 goals against average with 83 saves in 14 matches in net, while fellow keeper first-year Scott Zaring has been equally as impressive posting a 1.12 GAA with 30 saves in eight matches.
ODAC MEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
Quarterfinals – Saturday, October 31
Quarterfinal 1: #8 Guilford at #1 Virginia Wesleyan
Quarterfinal 2: #7 Washington and Lee at #2 Hampden-Sydney
Quarterfinal 3: #6 Randolph at #3 Lynchburg
Quarterfinal 4: #5 Eastern Mennonite at #4 Roanoke
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 4
SEMIFINAL 1: Winner 1v8 vs. Winner 4v5 (at higher seed) - TBA
SEMIFINAL 2: Winner 2v7 vs. Winner 3v6 (at higher seed) – TBA
Championship – Saturday, November 7
Winner Semifinal #1 vs. Winner Semifinal #2 (at Higher Seed) – TBA
CONTACT: Jamie Chagnon, Sports Information Director
