The NCAA News - News Features

Division III

Unbeaten Crusaders look tough

OVERVIEW: Top-ranked Wheaton (Illinois) had an unblemished record until a 1-1 tie at MacMurray. Still, the 13-0-1 Crusaders could be the frontrunner with Eric Brown, whose 14 goals tied a 30-year-old Crusaders freshman scoring record. "We're a young squad that starts two freshmen and three sophomores, but they're playing like seasoned veterans right now," Crusaders head coach Joe Bean said. "When our guys go up against a team that really wants to play soccer, we can stay with them." Wheaton, seeking its first berth in the national finals since 1990, plays in a tough region that also includes Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Washington (Missouri) and Trinity (Texas) .... Second-ranked Hope looks to make its third straight trip to the tournament on the strength of a 15-0-1 slate, including a win over ninth-ranked Trinity. Sean Toohey leads the Flying Dutchmen with 23 goals and seven assists .... Fredonia State should make its second straight appearance after a seven-year hiatus. The Blue Devils are ranked third at 17-1 and are led by Mike Domm with 23 goals and 14 assists .... Fourth-ranked Elizabethtown is 14-2-2 after a 2-0 loss at Wheaton. Gary Merrill tops the Jays in scoring with 11 goals and five assists .... Other contenders include Emory, Rowan, Williams and UC San Diego.

FIELD: Thirty-two teams from eight regions were selected November 10. Four teams were chosen from each of eight regions.

DATES AND SITES: All games will be played at on-campus sites. First- and second-round games will be November 15-16 or November 16-17. Third-round games will be completed by November 24. The semifinals and final will be November 29-30 or November 30-December 1.

INFORMATION/RESULTS: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1768 for bracket/schedule, 5147 for semifinal results and 5148 for championship-game results. Game scores and pairings also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Championship results will be published in the December 9 issue of The NCAA News.

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: This could be a championship filled with brotherly love. Wheaton has three Browns -- including freshman Eric, the squad's leading scorer -- who start for coach Joe Bean's Crusaders. Skip Brown is the Crusaders' left back and Scott starts in the midfield. Meanwhile, Hope has brothers Sean and Darren Toohey from Australia.