PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — New territory and a new opponent awaits the Cardinals as the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team plays Wheaton (Mass.) College Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the opening round of the NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament. St. Lawrence University serves as the host site for the first and second round games this weekend with the Saints hosting Thomas College (Me.) in the other first round game at 11 a.m. The winners of Saturday's games play Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
All three games will be played on Sandy MacAllaster Field at St. Lawrence University. Per NCAA rules, single-day tickets will be $6 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors and $2 for anyone under age 12. Tickets will be available at the entrance to Sandy MacAllaster Field at St. Lawrence University at 10 a.m. Saturday and at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Fans unable to make the trip to Canton, N.Y. can follow all three games via live stats and the free HD video broadcast, provided by St. Lawrence University. Multimedia links, as well as the link to the official NCAA Division III Soccer Championship Program, are provided below.
Live Stats
Live HD Video Broadcast
Official NCAA Division III Soccer Championship Program
Tournament Bracket
Tournament Information Page
As for the Cardinals (15-5-1), this is their 11th trip to the NCAA Tournament and the first since 2010. The team earned an automatic berth into the national tournament after claiming its eighth State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship last Saturday with a 2-1 win at Cortland. Matt Hamilton was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player while Tom Greene, Clay Sherman and Fabian Chaparro were named to the All-Tournament Team. Through their three-game run in the conference tournament, the Cardinals outscored their opponents 5-2, including a semifinal shutout at Oneonta.
Wheaton (16-5-0) displayed an impressive run of its own in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament. Twentieth-year head coach Matt Cushing and the second-seeded Lyons ran over Babson in a 6-1 semifinal win then topped MIT 1-0 for the conference title. Wheaton makes its ninth NCAA Tournament and the first since 2007. In that last appearance, the Lyons won their opening round match against Bridgewater State but fell 5-0 to Middlebury the next day.
Saturday's match will be the first time Plattsburgh State and Wheaton meet. In fact, this is just the third time the Cardinals have played a team from the NEWMAC. Plattsburgh State tied in matches against MIT and Springfield College.
The Cardinals enter the tournament led by six All-SUNYAC selections. Senior All-American Hamilton collects SUNYAC Player of the Year and First Team honors while Greene, Chaparro, Nick Parrella and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Nick Economou earn Second Team honors. Freshman Alexis Archilla landed a Third Team spot.
Hamilton has been a staple of the Plattsburgh State offense his entire career and with 28 career goals, his leadership will be key for the young Cardinals squad to stay alive. He, along with Greene and Joe Aratari, are the only three Cardinals that played in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals will look to combine their experience with a 10-goal scorer in Archilla and a stifling back line that holds opponents to 0.90 goals per game to keep their run going deep into the tournament.
Plattsburgh State has not allowed multiple goals to an opponent in the last five matches. During that stretch, sophomore goalkeeper Mitchell Jordon posted two shutouts, including a seven-save effort against Oneonta. Jordon is 11-4-0 with a 0.92 goals-against average this season.
Wheaton's offense counters with junior Travis Blair, whose 16 goals were second-most in the conference. Blair picked up two assists in the conference tournament while junior Ben Altneu scored three times in the playoffs with help from junior Luke Finkelstein who has nine assists this season. Altneu (NEWMAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player), Finkelstein, Blair and Marlon Ramalho received All-NEWMAC selections.
On the back end, sophomore keeper Matt Dickey has registered eight shutouts so far, including a three-save performance against MIT. Overall, Dickey is 14-5-0 with a 0.91 goals-against average and .813 save percentage.
