Scots Look to Get Back on Track With Two Home Games

For The Week Of:
October 16, 2006

Written by Hugh Howard
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Steve Fracasso

After losing back-to-back North Coast Athletic Conference matches, The College of Wooster menÍs soccer team is aiming to get back in the hunt for a berth in the NCAC Tournament. The Fighting Scots are currently in fifth-place and the top four at the end of the regular season qualify for the leagueÍs postseason tourney. On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Wooster welcomes Hiram College (8-4-1, 1-3-1 NCAC), currently in a tie for seventh in the conference standings, to Carl Dale Field at 4:30 p.m. The match will mark the 26th meeting between the two squads, with the Scots owning a 16-6-3 advantage in the series. In 2005, Wooster won a 2-0 decision over the Terriers. Also this week, the Scots host Wabash College (2-10-1, 1-3-1 NCAC), another team that is part of the seventh-place tie in the NCAC, on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 3:30 p.m., as part of ñHomecoming 2006.î Wooster is 6-2 all-time against the Little Giants after slipping past them 2-1 in double overtime last season.

Last Week: The Scots went 0-2 last week, falling from a tie for first to fifth-place in the NCAC and also dropping four spots to No. 8 in the NCAA Div. III Great Lakes Region coachesÍ poll.
On Oct. 11, Wooster had an off night, as it yielded a season-high three goals and was issued one red card and one yellow card, all part of a 3-1 setback at Allegheny College. The Gators got on the board twice in the first half, heading in a corner kick in the 13th minute and again scoring in the 37th minute. The 2-0 halftime deficit could have been worse, though, if not for a couple of high-quality saves by Erik Larson (El Paso, Texas / Stony Point). The Scots settled down and played an even second half, with each squad firing off five shots. Allegheny made it 3-0, though, before Wooster could crack the scoreboard on Steve FracassoÍs (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth) team-leading sixth goal, a blast from 20 yards out. Defensively, Larson ended up with five saves.
On Oct. 14, the Scots dropped a 1-0 decision to Oberlin College for the second-straight year, with the host Yeomen scoring 10 minutes in and then hanging on for the victory. In the second half, Wooster fired seven shots, but couldnÍt come up with the equalizer, while on the other end of the field, Larson, had three of his four saves during the match to keep the Scots within striking distance.