2005 Men's Soccer Championship Field Set

Four-Time Defending Champion Williams Holds Top Spot, Earns Bye

HADLEY, Mass. - Williams College, winner of the last four NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championships, will host the semifinals and championship game of the 2005 edition of the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, November 5, followed on Sunday, November 6, by the championship in Williamstown, Mass. First round action for the seven-team tournament kicks off on Sunday, October 30.

The Ephs (13-1-0, 9-0-0 NESCAC) locked up the top seed in the tournament for the third-straight year over a week ago with a little help from NESCAC rival Amherst. The Lord Jeffs’ 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Panthers of Middlebury on Thursday, October 20, gave Williams the distance it needed from the rest of the NESCAC pack to secure the first round bye and the right to host. Williams will play in the first semifinal of the day on Saturday, November 5, at 11:00 a.m.

While it had been known for a little over a week which squads would make up the seven-team field, it came down to the last day of the regular season to determine which team would be where. Bowdoin and Middlebury had both secured the right to host a first round contest earlier in the week, however Bowdoin (11-2-1, 7-2-0 NESCAC) edged out Middlebury (9-3-1, 6-2-1 NESCAC) for the second seed on Saturday afternoon. The Polar Bears defeated visiting Wesleyan 1-0, while the Panthers ended the regular season with a scoreless tie at Trinity. It will be a remach on Sunday for Bowdoin when it hosts seventh seed Wesleyan (6-4-3, 3-4-2 NESCAC) for the second-straight day, the first time the two teams have clashed in postseason action. Both teams made an appearance in the semifinals of the 2004 Championship.

Third seed Middlebury will take on sixth-seeded Tufts (5-7-2, 4-5-0 NESCAC) on Sunday in the first round for the third consecutive year. The Jumbos bolstered their chances of hosting during the week with a 2-0 victory at Wesleyan, but a 2-1 loss at Connecticut College on the final day of the season scuttled hopes and sent Tufts on the road. Middlebury was the victor over Tufts on September 17, a 3-0 shutout in Medford, Mass. In the previous three playoff meetings between the two squads, Middlebury holds a 3-0 advantage over Tufts, with the most recent victory coming last year, 4-3 in overtime.

Amherst (7-4-3, 4-3-2 NESCAC) tied Bates (9-3-2, 4-3-2 NESCAC) for fourth in the standings, as Amherst fell 2-1 to rival Williams while Bates needed overtime to defeat Colby on Saturday, 3-2. The two teams tied during the regular season in their lone meeting, 1-1 in Lewiston, Maine, on September 17. The Lord Jeffs received the advantage over the Bobcats by virtue of Amherst’s defeat of Middlebury on October 20, 2-1. The meeting on Sunday will be the first for the two clubs in postseason competition. Amherst has not competed in the semifinals of the Men’s Soccer Championship since 2002, while Bates is still searching for its first semifinal appearance.

2005 NESCAC MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Sunday, Oct. 30 at Higher Seeds
No. 7 Wesleyan at No. 2 Bowdoin - 12:30 p.m.
No. 6 Tufts at No. 3 Middlebury - 12:30 p.m.
No. 5 Bates at No. 4 Amherst - 12:30 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 5 at Williams
No. 1 Williams vs. lowest remaining seed - 11:00 a.m.
Remaining first round winners - 1:30 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, Nov. 6 at Williams
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.