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2019 SLIAC Men's Soccer Tournament

After missing out last season, Principia College has returned to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament and they will do so as the #1 seed in the tournament. Principia will be joined by a tournament field that includes Greenville University, Spalding University, and Westminster College. Semifinal games will be played on Wednesday, November 7 at the higher seeds home field with the 2019 SLIAC Championship game being held on Friday, November 9 at the highest remaining seed.

#1 Principia College

Principia College plays the fastest paced offense in the league, getting off a SLIAC high 21.4 shots per game. They scored 32 times this season with Kaden Keller leading the way with six goals. Kaden has stepped up in the goal scoring role as his brother Kaleb has battled injuries this year. Kaleb is the two-time defending SLIAC Offensive Player of the Year and has tallied 45 goals in his three years with the Panthers. Cameron Sellers and Patrick Sherman are tied for 3rd on the team with 10 points. Sellers is the top defender for Principia, which ranked 3rd in goals allowed in the SLIAC. Nick Klusmeyer is the steady force in net, carrying a 1.11 goals-against average while recording 42 saves this season.

  • Overall Record: 10-6
  • SLIAC Record: 7-2
  • SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 17
  • SLIAC Tournament Titles: 2
  • Last SLIAC Title: 2007
#2 Spalding University

Spalding will be playing in their 3rd SLIAC Tournament in the last four years and for the first time the program has made the postseason in back-to-back seasons. Spalding led the SLIAC with 47 goals this season and were just as stout defensively, ranking 2nd with just 15 goals allowed. Top striker Kornell Hilliard has been one of the SLIAC's top attackers since arriving on campus four years ago, tallying double digit goals in all four seasons including a league-leading 17 goals this season. Four other Golden Eagles netted at least four goals this season while Mirza Ugarak led the team, and conference, with 8 assists. Guarding the net is sophomore keeper Trevor Massa. Massa ranked in the top two in the SLIAC in all three leading goalkeeper categories; finishing 1st in save percentage (.845), 2nd in saves (82), and 2nd in goals-against average (.077).

  • Overall Record: 12-4-3
  • SLIAC Record: 6-2-1
  • SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 4
  • SLIAC Tournament Titles: 0
  • Last SLIAC Title: n/a
#3 Greenville University

Greenville clinched their spot into the 2019 tournament field on the last day of the season, needing a win to get in. The Panthers scored 30 goals this season, allowing 31. Jared McPeek is their go-to player, recording 11 goals and 4 assists this season with three game-winners. Napoleon Urquidi tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals and finished with 7 goals for the season. Adam Jones led the team with 5 assists. Ruben Martinez anchors the Panther defense and has started all 39 games since arriving on campus. Nick Holland is an expierenced netminder that played nearly 1500 minutes this season, holding a 1.84 goals-against average while making 66 saves.

  • Overall Record: 10-8
  • SLIAC Record: 6-3
  • SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 16
  • SLIAC Tournament Titles: 3
  • Last SLIAC Title: 2011
#4 Westminster College

Westminster College joins the tournament field after missing out last season. The Blue Jays totaled 27 goals this season, allowing 39. The duo of Justin Gerdiman and Patrick Wisnewski play up top and were 1-2 in scoring. Gerdiman tallied 6 goals and 4 assists this season with a team leading three game-winning goals while Wisnewski was second on the team with 5 goals. Sam Heckart is the leader of the defense and should be fully healthy after missing a stretch of games earlier in the year. In net the Blue Jays have Connor Bandre', a senior, that recorded 43 saves anda 2.03 goals-against average this season.

  • Overall Record: 5-11
  • SLIAC Record: 5-4
  • SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 19
  • SLIAC Tournament Titles: 5
  • Last SLIAC Title: 2017

Credits:

Created with an image by Nathan Rogers - "Works well when wet"