Just five days after the team's previous meeting, the William Woods University men's soccer team hosts Park University in the first round of the AMC Postseason Tournament. Kickoff for Saturday's match is set for 1 p.m. at Firley Field.
The Matchup
Both teams will again be channeling Al Davis, as the loser of today's match finds their season finished. Even though the rivalry between these teams is fairly young, the intense finish to Monday's contest promises an exciting battle this afternoon.
Both teams have picked up one win in their last five outings, but Park dropped a 2-1 result at Missouri Baptist, while the Owls battled to a 3-2 loss at Lyon. Park's lone win on the stretch came at Benedictine University at Springfield.
Last Time Out
After three first half goals for the Owls, WWU looked to be in control of the game.
Paulo Conelian opened for William Woods in the ninth minute, picking up his first collegiate goal with a curling free kick into the upper 90. The Owls barely needed two minutes to double their lead, as
Marcelo Carreiro converted the advantage call by the referee, sinking an empty net chance after
Joao Paulo Parra was tripped up trying to elude a sliding Reece Harris.
Sebastian Burich added a third goal for WWU in the 22nd minute, as Parra found him in the middle of the box. The Chilean took a setup touch and slotted the ball home. The goal proved to be key as Park was able to pull two goals back in the second half.
Home Sweet Home
This weekend is a busy one on campus, as all five fall championship sports will begin their postseason bids on home soil. The Owls Cross Country teams put in solid appearances at the AMC Championship Meet on Friday, highlighted by Ryan Meyer's dominant win over Park's Daniel Tubei. The WWU women's soccer team played a thriller on Friday night, twice coming back from one-goal deficits and winning 3-2 over Lyon College courtesy of a Jamie Palermo hat trick. And Volleyball will open its AMC Postseason Tournament on Tuesday night against Hannibal-LaGrange at 7 p.m.
Putting The "Student-" First
Marcelo Carreiro was named to the College Division Capital One Academic All-District 5 Team as selected by CoSIDA on Tuesday. The prestigious honor recognizes student-athletes who are standout performers in both the classroom and on the field. Check out wwuowls.com for more information about the honor.
AMC Winning Season
William Woods finished the 2012 regular season with a 4-3-1 record, the second winning season of Mason's five-year tenure. The Owls have finished at or above .500 in three of Mason's five seasons at the helm, with the season marking just the third winning league season in program history.
National Rankings
An active offense, the Owls are ranked ninth in the country in shots per game with a pace of 21.39 on the year. They are also efficient, putting nearly half of those shots on goal, with WWU ranked 12th nationally with a pace of 10.28.
William Woods is also ranked 19th in the country with 50 goals on the season and 16th for total assists with 40.
Conference Rankings
After spending much of the season at the top spot, the Owls were recently edged down to second in shots per game with their pace of 21.39 just behind Lyon's 21.69 average.
The Owls were also leapfrogged in shots on goal per game by Hannibal-LaGrange, with the Trojans moving into second with a pace of 10.31 to 10.28 for the Owls.
William Woods is tied for second on the scoring table behind Hannibal-LaGrange, with WWU's 50 goals somewhat shy of the Trojan's 65 strikes on the season. The Owls are third on the assists charts with 40, behind HLGU (63) and Columbia (43).
Joao Paulo Parra moved into a four-man deadlock for fourth place in assists on the year, joining teammate
Luca Stroeter, Park's Dawit Gebremariam and HLG's Agustin Concha with seven.
Marcelo Carreiro moved up a spot on the individual scorer's table, with his 11 goals good for a tie for third with Marko Paunovic of Columbia.
A Look At Park University
The Pirates come into Tuesday's match with a 6-9-1 overall record and finished the regular season with a 3-4-1 mark in AMC play.
Monday's loss snapped a two-game unbeaten streak, but the Pirates have won only one game in their last five outings - a 7-0 victory over Benedictine University at Springfield.
The team features a balanced offensive attack with three players scoring at least four goals, Anass Moudfir and Richard Osterloh lead the team with six and Carlos Trombini has contributed four.
Dawit Gebremariam leads the team with seven assists.
Postseason Play
As a reminder, per American Midwest Conference and NAIA policies, season passes are not valid for postseason contests and events.
“Replay” On Owls Vision
Thanks to the efforts spearheaded by Steven Goodson and Jim Long, we are now able to bring you the action from today's game in near perfect quality on your smartphones and other internet-enabled devices. With the encoding and transmission process, there is a short delay between the live action at Firley Field and what you see on the broadcast, but it makes for a great “instant replay” experience at the field.
Corporate Partners
Throughout the 2012-13 season, William Woods will take many opportunities to thank our corporate partners for their support both on and off the field for our student-athletes. Thanks to Atkins Inc., Central Dairy, Coldwell Banker Niedergerke & Co., Columbia Orthopaedic Group, Cost Cutters of Mid-Mo, Jack's Gourmet Restaurant, Holiday Inn Express, Joe Machens Dealerships, Mid-City Lumber, Mo-X, PEAK Performance, Red Weir Athletic Supplies, State Farm/Don Woodson and White Dog Promotions.
For more information on the WWU Corporate Partner programs, contact the Athletic Department at 573.592.1624.
