The NCAA News - News Features

Division II

Owls boast balanced scoring

OVERVIEW: Tournament favorite Southern Connecticut State is unbeaten in 30 games dating back to October of last year. This year, the Owls are 15-0-1 so far, including wins over Tampa, Oakland, Franklin Pierce, South Carolina-Spartanburg and West Virginia Wesleyan. The Owls are winning with a balanced attack, with five players having scored at least nine goals. Midfielder Itai Mor has been a key distributor, setting a school record for assists in a season with 18. Goalkeeper Rick Koczak ranks second nationally with a 0.38 goals-against average. The Owls also feature one of collegiate soccer's bigger players in Shawn Boney, a 6-foot-7, 260-pound midfielder who has scored nine goals and assisted on four others. Chris Houser and Mike Petke anchor an Owls defense that has allowed just six goals .... Southern Connecticut State's tie came against New Hampshire College, which has a 12-0-2 record, its best start since 1992. Dean Sewell is fourth in Division II with 18 goals, and goalkeeper Erik Fernstrom has allowed just six goals in 13 starts. Fernstrom's 0.47 goals-against average ranks third in the country .... West Virginia Wesleyan, 14-3, has won nine straight since a loss to William and Mary. Rune Thuestad and Geir Stabaek have combined for 35 goals and 21 assists to lead the Bobcats' attack. Both are among Division II scoring leaders .... Other title contenders include Lynn, Grand Canyon, Charleston (West Virginia), Lander and Cal State Bakersfield.

FIELD: Twelve teams from four regions will be selected November 11. Three teams will be chosen from each region and the top team in each region will receive a first-round bye.

DATES AND SITES: All games will be played at on-campus sites. First-round games will be completed by November 17 and second-round games by November 24. The semifinals and final will be December 5 and 7 or 6 and 8.

INFORMATION/RESULTS: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1762 for bracket/schedule, 5145 for semifinal results and 5146 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 16 issue of The NCAA News.

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: Since 1987, Southern Connecticut State has not gone more than two years without winning a title, but the Owls have yet to post back-to-back championships, which they will attempt to do this year .... Seattle Pacific has made the most tournament appearances with 22, but the string is in jeopardy as the Falcons are ranked 20th with a 9-7 record.