All Four 2003 Semifinalists Return to Wooster for 2004 NCAC Tourney

The 2004 North Coast Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament has a very familiar feel to it, as the same four teams return to the same site as last season to battle it out for the league’s much-coveted automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III Tournament. In fact, the semifinals match up the same squads, with the only exception being that Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan University have swapped seeds. In 2003, Denison was the No. 2 seed after sharing the NCAC championship with this weekend’s host, The College of Wooster, while Ohio Wesleyan was seeded third. This fall, the Battling Bishops tied Wooster for first-place in the regular season and are the No. 2 seed. Allegheny College is entering Carl Dale Field with the fourth seed for the second-straight year.

Top-seeded Wooster is hoping the third year is a charm. The Scots have hosted the NCAC tourney the last two seasons only to fall short in a bid for its first national appearance since 1992. Wooster, which got knocked out via penalty kicks in the 2002 semifinals and suffered a 2-1 setback to Ohio Wesleyan in the championship match last fall, is a perfect 8-0 at home this year. The Scots are led by the dynamic duo of Brian Conaway and Adam Milligan, who are 1-2, respectively, in the conference in scoring with 31 and 28 points. Junior ‘keeper David Treleven has been solid for Wooster, accumulating league-bests of .839 save percentage and eight shutouts, including seven-straight during one stretch.

Ohio Wesleyan, which may be the hottest team entering postseason play with a nine-match win streak, is trying to continue its perfect run in the brief history of the NCAC Tournament, as the Bishops have won all four previous such events. Ohio Wesleyan also has a nice scoring tandem in Jeff Fisher and Ryan Martin, who have combined for 50 points (20 goals, 10 assists). The Bishops’ offense is the highest scoring in the league at 2.54 goals per game, which has helped ease the transition of a freshman goalie into the lineup. Jamison Dague has played in 16 of 19 matches and made 40 saves against 10 goals allowed.

Denison is hoping to avenge last year’s appearance in the NCAC semifinals, when a couple of early mistakes led to easy Ohio Wesleyan goals and an eventual 4-0 setback. The Big Red have won eight of their last 10, with their only losses coming to the Bishops and Scots. Denison’s top goal scorer has been Chad Huber with seven, while Steve Cole has contributed a team-high five helpers. Ben Stevens is back in net, where he has posted a .783 save percentage.

Although Allegheny comes in with the lowest seed and a rather pedestrian 9-7-1 overall record, it cannot be overlooked. The Gators, who are making their fifth consecutive NCAC tourney appearance, have won five of their last six matches, with the only loss during that stretch coming at Ohio Wesleyan in overtime. Allegheny’s offense revolves around Josh Johnson, as he leads the team in both goals (10) and assists (six). The Gators’ defense, which was the only one in the NCAC to shutout Wooster’s high-powered attack, is anchored by ‘keeper Brian Manougian, who has compiled a .785 save percentage.