BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears will travel to Amherst, Massachusetts to take on the second ranked Amherst College Lord Jeffs in the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. The first round game will take place on Saturday, November 16th at a time to be announced.
The Bears (10-7-3) will be making the program's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2007 after capturing the MASCAC Tournament Championship on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Worcester State.
Amherst (15-0-2) is heading to the NCAAs for the eighth straight season and 13th time overall. The Lord Jeffs, who have been ranked in the top ten in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III Poll all season long, captured both the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular season and tournament titles.
Under the guidance of 12th-year head coach Brendan Adams (112-88-22, .554), the Bears are led by All-MASCAC selections senior defenders Craig Shadduck (Braintree, Mass.) and Luke Samperi (North Easton, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Kolin Campbell (Norton, Mass.) and sophomore defender Nicholas Keddie (Abington, Mass.) as well as senior goaltender Matt Bagley (Braintree, Mass.), senior forward Colin Neri (Upton, Mass.) and sophomore forward Conor Murtagh (Walpole, Mass.).
Shadduck, who has split time between forward and defense, is tied for the team lead in scoring along with Neri as they both have recorded six goals and one assist. Murtagh, the MASCAC Tournament MVP, has four goals to his credit including a pair of game-winners during the tournament.
Shadduck, Samperi, Campbell and Keddie are an intergral part of a BSU defensive unti that has limited opponents to an average of just 4.5 shots on goal per game. Bagley has played every minute of all 20 games as he has produced nine shutouts and a 0.90 goals against average. Three of those shutouts came in the MASCAC Tournament.
Under the durection of seventh-year head coach Justin Serpone (103-14-16, .835), the Lord Jeffs have allowed just eight goals all season long and have outshot opponents by a decided margin of 336-124. Sophomore goalkeeper Thomas Bull (Montgomery, N.J.) has appeared in 17 games with 14 wins, 31 saves, eight shutouts and a 0.46 goals against average. His 0.46 goals against average ranks ninth in all of Division III. The Lord Jeffs defense has been terrific in front of Bull giving up an average of just two shots on goal per game.
Freshman forward Christopher Martin (Philadelphia, Pa.) leads Amherst in scoring with seven goals and three assists for 17 points. Sophomore forward Greg Singer (San Jose, Calif.) has added six goals and a pair of assists for 14 points.
This marks the fifth straight season that the two teams have met. The Lord Jeffs have won each of the four meetings, all during the regular season, including a 2-0 victory in 2012 at Bridgewater.
In the other first round matchup in Amherst on Saturday, Gordon College (18-2) will take on Eastern Connecticut State University (10-7-3). The winners will advance to the second round on Sunday at 1:00 PM also at Amherst.
Ticket prices will be $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students with a valid ID, and $2 for children ages 3-12.