The Observer, November 9, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 10
No playoff berth for men's soccer
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The men's soccer team's season came to a disappointing end last Saturday at the hands of the fifth-ranked University of Rochester Yellowjackets. The Spartans, who were rated as high as second in the nation this year, underachieved; they advanced to the sweet 16 in the national playoff tournament last year. As witnessed on Saturday, the Spartans struggled through a difficult conference schedule which included four teams that received bids to the playoffs this year.
Continuing with the trend of their other UAA losses, the Spartans allowed Rochester to get on the board early with a goal in the 10th minute. After the team had planned to stop scoring attempts originating from the flanks, that's exactly where Rochester attacked and eventually scored on a rebound. The Yellowjackets struck again right before the half, putting the Spartans in an even bigger hole.
It wasn't as if Case didn't see any scoring opportunities; the Spartans actually outshot Rochester 15-5, with seven of those shots on goal. Michael Peacock, goal keeper for the Yellowjackets, played an outstanding game, making great save after great save. It wasn't until Case moved players up to create even more scoring chances late in the game that Rochester put in its third and final goal.
With the loss, Case put themselves at the mercy of the selection committee for their bid into the playoffs. The selection committee is composed of NCAA division III soccer experts. They use a set of selection criteria to help guide them while making their selections that takes into account records, opponents, stats, geography and other factors. "That's the beauty and the curse of the selection process," explained coach Dan Palmer. "They seek to select a representative sample of teams across the nation, not necessarily all the best teams in the nation." As a result, a region such as the Midwest that is flooded with great teams can only send their very best and leave out some extremely good teams, such as Case.
But all is not lost. It was just announced on Monday that three of the players were elected to the ESPN Magazine Academic All-District IV team. Junior Kevin Biggart, who is ranked third on the team in scoring, was named to the first team, while juniors Zeyad Schwen and RJ French were named to the second team. "That just demonstrates the environment we have here," said Palmer. "Where you can excel both athletically and academically. All three of those guys are very deserving."
While this season may have come to an end, the team does look very promising for next year. The main core of the team will be returning and only three seniors, Chad Skidmore, Neal Duryea, and Ronan Cahill, will be leaving. While their efforts will be truly missed, the team is confident in the young talent they have behind them. In addition, Nate Hoffman and Konrad Karasek will return from injuries to lead the team as seniors next year. With a good off-season and recruiting class, it isn't unimaginable to see the Spartans back at the top of the UAA once again next year.
