November 3, 2009
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Men’s Soccer Blanked by Wheaton (Ill.), 3-0, in CCIW Semifinals;
Red Men Finish 2009 Season with 7-8-4 Record
2009 CCIW Tournament: The Carthage College men’s soccer team (7-8-4, 4-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) lost to No. 17 Wheaton College (Ill., 14-3-2, 4-1-2), 3-0, on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in a CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament semifinal game at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. The Thunder were seeded second in the tournament and the Red Men third. In the other semifinal contest on Wednesday, Nov. 4, top-seeded and No. 23 Elmhurst College (13-3-3, 5-0-2) blanked fourth-seeded Augustana College (Ill., 6-10-3, 3-2-2 CCIW), 2-0, at Berens Park in Elmhurst, Ill. Elmhurst plays host to Wheaton (Ill.) in the Saturday, Nov. 7 tournament-championship game at 7 p.m., also at Berens Park, with the winner gaining the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.
Last Week: Carthage closed out its regular-season schedule on Sunday, Nov. 1 with a 1-0 win over CCIW-opponent Illinois Wesleyan University (5-9-3, 2-4-1 CCIW) at the Neis Soccer Field in Bloomington, Ill. Sunday’s regular-season finale was originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 but postponed one day due to saturated field conditions at the Neis Soccer Field. With the win, Carthage leapfrogged past both Augustana College (Ill.) and North Park University to gain the third seed in the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament. Augustana (Ill., 6-9-3, 3-2-2 CCIW) and North Park (10-5-3, 3-2-2) were tied for fourth place as a result of Augustana’s 1-1 double-overtime tie at Millikin University earlier in the day. With a 2-0 win over North Park on Oct. 10, Augustana (Ill.) had the tie-breaker for fourth place
Carthage at the CCIW Tournament: Since the CCIW launched its post-season tournament in 2002, Carthage has qualified for seven of the eight events. The Red Men lost in the semifinals the first five times but advanced to the championship game in 2008 and took Wheaton College (Ill.) to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime. The Thunder received last year’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, 4-3 on penalty kicks.
Last Year: Carthage went 10-6-5 in 2008 (5-1-1, 2nd CCIW).
2008 NCAA Championship: Wheaton College (Ill.) was awarded the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, and the Thunder played host to first and second-round games on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 14-15 at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. On Friday, Nov. 14, Carroll College (Wis., 18-3) edged Wittenberg University (16-4-1), 3-2, with Wheaton (Ill , 15-4-3) losing to Ohio Northern University (18-5-1), 4-1. Ohio Northern (19-5-1) edged Carroll (Wis., 18-4), 2-1, in double-overtime on Saturday, Nov. 15 in a second-round game, also at Joe Bean Stadium.
2008 CCIW Tournament: The Carthage College men’s soccer team (10-6-5, 5-1-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) played top-seeded and conference-champion Wheaton College (Ill., 15-3-3, 6-0-1 CCIW), ranked 17th in the Nov. 4 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas® NCAA Division III poll, to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime on Saturday, Nov. 8 in the championship game of the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. The Thunder won the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, 4-3, on penalty kicks. The second-seeded Red Men played third-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University (8-8-2, 5-2 CCIW) to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in a semifinal contest at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis. Carthage advanced to the championship game, 5-3, on penalty kicks, while Wheaton (Ill.) defeated fourth-seeded North Park University (10-8-1, 5-2 CCIW), 4-2, in the other semifinal contest at Joe Bean Stadium.
The Coach: Steve Domin is in his 15th season as head coach in 2009 (145-115-27, 15 years). Domin, who was named head coach in 1995 when Carthage resumed varsity soccer for the first time since the mid-1980s, was tabbed as the CCIW/Joe Bean "Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year” for the 1996 and 2007 seasons. Tim Burke, Nate Johnson and Brent Malmstrom serve as part-time assistant coaches, Cody Taylor as a graduate assistant coach and Chris Fidlow as a student assistant coach.
The Polls: Ohio Wesleyan University (17-0-2) was ranked first in the Nov. 3 National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III poll, followed by Messiah College (17-1) second, Loras College (17-1-1) third, Wesleyan University (11-0-4) fourth, Trinity University (13-1-2) fifth, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (13-1-2) sixth, Christopher Newport University (16-2) seventh, Dominican University (Ill., 13-1-3) eighth, the University of Rochester (12-1-2) ninth and Swarthmore University (14-1-2) ranked 10th. CCIW-member Wheaton College (Ill., 13-3-2) was ranked 17th and conference-member Elmhurst College (12-3-3) 23rd in the national poll. CCIW-member Wheaton (Ill., 13-3-2 overall record, 12-2-2 in-region mark) was ranked first in the Nov. 4 NCAA Division III Central Region poll, followed by Dominican University (Ill., 13-1-3, 13-1-3) second, the University of Chicago (11-3-3, 10-3-2) third, CCIW-member Elmhurst College (12-3-3, 10-2-3) fourth, Hope College (12-3-2, 11-3-2) fifth and Calvin College (13-4-1, 12-4-1) ranked sixth.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 64th year in 2009-10, first sponsored men's soccer as a championship sport in 1988. Wheaton College (Ill.) has won or shared a league-leading 15 championships, including the 2008 title. The Thunder have claimed the title all but six times. North Central College won league championships in 1991 and 1994, North Park University won three-straight titles from 2004 to 2006, Carthage College won its first-ever league championship in 2007, and Elmhurst College won its first-ever league title in 2009. The CCIW men’s soccer coaches picked Wheaton (Ill., 7 first-place votes, 49 points) to repeat as conference champions in 2008, followed by Carthage (1 first-place vote, 37 points) second Elmhurst College (36 points) third, North Park (34 points) fourth, Illinois Wesleyan University (28 points) fifth, Millikin University (17 points) sixth, North Central (13 points) seventh and Augustana College (Ill., 10 points) eighth.
CCIW Players of the Week: Carthage College defender/midfielder Jordan Baker (So., Lisle, Ill./Naperville-North) was named CCIW “Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week” on Nov. 3, while defender Damon Brown (Sr., Seymour, Ind.) earned “defensive player of the week” honors. Baker scored the game’s lone goal, unassisted, at 48:53, in the Red Men’s 1-0 win at Illinois Wesleyan University on Nov. 1. With the win, Carthage gained the third seed in the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament. Brown led the Thunder defense to a pair of shutouts in conference play last week. On Oct. 27, Wheaton played 110 minutes of shutout soccer, tying North Park University, 0-0 in two overtimes. On Oct. 30, Brown helped lead Wheaton to its second shutout of the week in a 1-0 victory over Millikin University.
CCIW Championship Structure: The CCIW determines its men’s soccer championship by points, with each team receiving three points for a regular-season conference win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. The conference plays a post-season tournament to determine its automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship. The top-four teams, by CCIW-championship points, qualify for the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament. The top-two seeds will play host to semifinal games on Nov. 4, 2009. In even years, If either host-school has earned the right to play host to semifinal matches in both men’s and women’s soccer, then the women’s game involving that school only will be played on the previous day. In odd years, that same conflict would require the men’s game to be played on the previous day. This would only apply to the schools where there is a conflict. The highest-remaining seed in the tournament, following the semifinals, will play host to the championship game on Nov. 7, 2009, with that winner securing the automatic qualifier. In the event of a tie in a tournament game, penalty kicks will only determine which team advances to or wins the tournament-championship game.
Art Keller Field: In 2000, thanks to a major gift from David and Gael Romoser, a state-of-the-art AstroPlayâ surface was installed on Art Keller Field. AstroPlay is a synthetic surface consisting of soft, low-abrasion nylon fibers surrounded by rubber granules. Installed over a sophisticated drainage system, the surface offers excellent traction regardless of weather, and can accommodate intensive use in a succession of games and practice sessions. Art Keller Field, a 1,658-seat, facility located on the Carthage campus, opened on Sept. 24, 1966. The home side of the field, on the west, received all-new seating for 986 fans prior to the 1996 season. Lights were added in 1997, a new scoreboard was installed in 2004, a new press box was constructed in 2005, a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006, and the facility was re-surfaced with FieldTurf in 2008.
Nov. 1 Illinois Wesleyan Game Notes: Following a scoreless first period, the Red Men’s Jordan Baker (So., Lisle, Ill./Naperville-North) scored the game’s lone goal, unassisted, at 48:53.
Quoting Coach Steve Domin on the Nov. 1 Illinois Wesleyan Game: “It was kind of do or die for us, as far as reaching the CCIW tournament. Our season got off to a rocky start. I think a lot of people counted us out, because we graduated 11 players, including seven starters. We’re getting better every day.”
CCIW Tournament Notes: In Carthage’s loss to Wheaton College (Ill.) in the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament semifinals, the first period was scoreless. The Thunder broke the ice with a penalty-kick goal by Matt Swartz, his 11th goal of the year, at 57:33. Wheaton (Ill.) broke the game open with two goals in less than a minute with seven minutes to play. A header goal by Dan Pavlak, assisted by Swartz, at 82:52, made it 2-0, and a second header goal, this one by Stephen Mesko, assisted by Jason Lollar, at 83:37, completed the scoring at 3-0. The Thunder out-shot the Red Men, 22-11.