INDIANAPOLIS - On Thursday morning, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference 2013 Men’s Soccer Championships will open up with the semifinal round at 11:00 a.m. The weekend tournament will feature the top four schools in the conference standings, and will be hosted by the regular-season champion and top overall seed, Davis and Elkins College.

Kicking off the action will be #1 Davis and Elkins hosting #4 Salem International University at 11:00 a.m. The game will be the second-straight meeting between the two teams, as D&E clinched the regular-season title in the regular-season finale against Salem in a 2-1 win in Elkins. Salem and D&E played just one week earlier with the Senators again winning by a slim 2-1 advantage.

#3 Trevecca Nazarene will take on #2 Cedarville at 1:30 p.m. Cedarville finished with a 6-1-1 record, while TNU went 5-3 in conference. In the two regular-season meetings between the teams, Cedarville posted two shutout wins over the Trojans, 4-0 in Nashville and 2-0 at Cedarville.

The two winners will advance to the finals of the Men’s Soccer Championships on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at Noon. Check back to G-MACsports.com and the Men’s Soccer Championship Page for recaps of all the weekend action. Also follow us on twitter at @GreatMidwestAC and @G_MACscores for pictures, updates, recaps and results.

TEAM-BY-TEAM PREVIEW

#1 Davis and Elkins College (@SenatorNation)
Davis and Elkins enters the tournament as the top seed and host, making them the obvious favorite to win the G-MAC Men’s Championship. However, there will be three other teams that feel they have a chance to upset the top seed and steal the title away from the Senators.

Leading the attack for D&E is one of the nation’s top scorers, James Pucci. For a majority of the season, Pucci has led the nation in both goals scored and points, as well as goals per game and points per game. In the most recent national statistical report, Pucci remains the nations #1 scorer with 23 goals, 3.56 points per game, and 57 total points. He is second with 1.44 points per game, and sixth in assists per game (0.69) and total assists (11).

This season, D&E has bested Salem International, its semifinal opponent, twice by a 2-1 one score. Both games have taken place in the last 12 days. If the Senators can advance to the finals, they will face either Cedarville or Trevecca Nazarene. In the regular season, D&E defeated Cedarville 2-0 at CU, but lost to TNU 2-1 in Elkins.

As the Trojans have defeated the Senators once in Elkins already this season, and Cedarville, despite the head-to-head loss to D&E, features the ninth best defensive unit in the nation - allowing just 0.59 goals a game and second with 0.61 shutouts per game - the finals will be a battle no matter who the opponent.

#2 Cedarville University (@CUJackets)

Cedarville University enters the tournament as the #2 seed after securing its spot with a pair of wins over TNU and Kentucky Wesleyan on the last weekend of G-MAC action. The Yellow Jackets have posted 11 shutouts this year and have only allowed three goals once this season. They rank ninth in the nation with a 0.59 goals against average, and second in shutouts (0.61 per game).

The team will be led defensively by sophomore goalkeeper Ethan Dewhurst, but on the attack the Yellow Jackets will look to Connor Gilmour, who led the team with 12 goals, four assists, and 28 points. The team’s next three top goal scorers combined to score only 11 goals.

As for the Yellow Jackets semifinal opponent, Cedarville defeated Trevecca in the team’s most recent meeting in Ohio, 2-0. Earlier in the season, Cedarville opened up G-MAC play with a 4-0 win on the road at Trevecca. Going back to last season, CU defeated TNU in its only regular-season meeting 1-0 and then advanced to the conference Championship game with a 3-2 win over the Trojans.

If Cedarville is able to advance out of the semifinals, they would face either D&E or Salem International. The Yellow Jackets lost to the Senators earlier this season at home, 2-0 and against Salem International, on the road, the teams split a 1-1 overtime tie. To win the title, Cedarville will have to rely on their defense throughout the entire tournament no matter the opponent.

 #3 Trevecca Nazarene University (@TNUsports)

Trevecca Nazarene University, who finished the regular-season 5-3 and won four of its final five games to move into the third spot, will take on Cedarville - a team they have yet to beat in four meetings in G-MAC competition. However, the outcome is in no way set. TNU is scoring almost two goals a game and have been held scoreless only twice - both times by Cedarville. Six times this season they have scored three or more goals, including a 5-2 win over Salem International.

Trevecca Nazarene will look to freshman Jeremiah Wright to lead the attack. He not only leads the team with nine goals, three more than teammate Connor Inman, but also leads the way with seven assists, four more than teammate Matt Raines. He almost doubles both of them in points with 25, as the two are tied for second behind Wright with 13 points. In goal, Braydon Brown will have to keep the games close as he has given up 1.91 goals per game.

If Trevecca can score against Cedarville and win to advance to the finals, they could be considered the favorite in the finals against either potential opponent. In the regular season, TNU defeated Salem  by a score of 5-2, the team’s best performance of the season - and against Davis and Elkins in West Virginia, the Trojans brought home a 2-1 victory. It was the only G-MAC loss D&E had all season.

#4 Salem International University (@SIUTigers)

Salem International, who played a majority of its G-MAC schedule late in the season rallied to secure the final spot in the four-team tournament. The team played eight of its conference games in a span of the final 20 days of the season. In fact, two of the final three were against the Tigers semifinal opponent, Davis and Elkins. In the two games, D&E posted 2-1 victories in each.

The Tigers have battled winning twice against Alderson Broaddus, posting a 1-1 tie against Cedarville, and winning in OT at Kentucky Wesleyan. The season as a whole has been up and down as the team has never won two games in a row three times and lost only two or more in a row once, losing three in a row out of conference earlier in the year.

Salem will look to Tomas Szabo, who had a team-high seven goals on the season for 14 points. However, almost anyone can be the hero in the potential upset bid against Davis & Elkins, as 13 different players have scored a goal this season, and an additional three have earned at least one point. In goal, four different players have played significant minutes for the Tigers. John Krueger leads the way with almost 600 minutes, but has given up 2.41 goals per game. Elliot Cook has played 373 minutes and allowed only 1.20 goals per game, while making 19 saves. Abdul Kamara has played over 412 minutes and allowed 1.53 goals per minute, making 20 saves.

If Salem is able to upset the top seed and host in the semifinals, they will face either Cedarville or Trevecca Nazarene. In the regulars season, the Yellow Jackets and the Tigers played 110 minutes and could not decide a winner as it ended in a 1-1 tie. In Nashville, the Trojans scored a season-high five goals on the Tigers in a 5-2 decision. Despite their 0-3-1 record against the other teams in the conference tournament, anything can happen when it gets to tournament time.