BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears will travel to Amherst, Massachusetts to take on the Mammoths of Amherst College in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. The first round game will take place on Saturday, November 10th at 11:00 AM.
The Bears (11-7-1) will be making the program's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance (1990, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2018) after capturing the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament Championship on Sunday with a 5-3 win over Framingham State.
Amherst is making the program's seventeenth appearance in the NCAA Tournament as they received an at large bid. The 20th ranked Mammoths (12-4-1) have secured a spot in the national tournament in each of the last six seasons and 12 of the last 13.
The Bears are under the direction of head coach Brendan Adams. In his 17 seasons as the BSU skipper, Adams' coaching record stands at 164-128-30 (.555), with an impressive MASCAC regular season mark of 73-31-15 (.699). During his tenure, the Bears have captured the MASCAC Tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament on five occasions (2004, 2007, 2013, 2015, and 2018). Adams sits comfortably as the all-time winningest coach in program history.
The Bears are led by senior midfielders Kessy Alves (Praia, Cape Verde) and Kane Moran (Perth, Australia), as well as sophomore forward Kevin Roberts (Medway, Mass.), junior goaltender Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.), junior defenders Tim Alzamora (Holden, Mass.) and Zachary Ells (Douglas, Mass.), and sophomore defender Stanislaus Sokolov (Reading, Mass.).
The MASCAC Tournament MVP, Alves leads the team with nine goals, nine assists and 27 points. Alves is currently tied for second in the MASCAC in assists and ranks third in both goals and scoring.
Moran has netted four goals this season with three assist for 11 points. Three of his four goals in 2018 have been game winners.
Alzamora, Ells and Sokolov are an integral part of a BSU defensive unit that has helped produce five shutouts and a team 1.61 goals against average. Alzamora has a goal and an assist to his credit, while Ells has recorded a team-leading ten assists to go along with a goal.
Morgado has started all 19 games this season between the pipes and enters the tournament with 11 wins, five shutouts, a 1.63 goals against average, 100 saves and a .763 save percentage.
Amherst is under the guidance of head coach Justin Serpone, who has amassed an overall record of 179-26-30 (.826) in 12 seasons at the helm of the Mammoths' men's soccer program. Amherst has made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances during Serpone's tenure including a national championship in 2015.
The Mammoths are led by freshman forward German Giammattei (Pinecrest, Fla.) who has recorded six goals and two assist for 14 points. Senior midfielder Luke Nguyen (Old Lyme, Conn.) checks in with five goals and three assists, while junior midfielder Dane Lind (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) has ten assists to go along with a goal. Freshman keeper Bernie White (Austin, Texas) has ten wins and 5 1/2 shutouts (four solo) in 13 starts with a 0.76 goals against average, 60 saves and a .857 save percentage.
In the other first round matchup in Amherst on Saturday, Middlebury College (10-3-3) will take on Saint Joseph's College of Maine (20-0). The winners will advance to the second round on Sunday also at Amherst.
Notes: Amherst is 5-0 all-time against Bridgewater State including a 3-0 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013....The Mammoths are 26-12-9 (.649) all-time in NCAA Tournament play while the Bears are 1-5 (.167).
2018 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament Bracket (PDF)