INDIANAPOLIS – The playoff picture is starting to round into focus as Findlay and Ohio Dominican collected Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Players of the Week on Tuesday morning.
 
Three teams, Ohio Valley, Findlay and Davis & Elkins, officially clinched playoff spots in the Great Midwest Championship. The championship bracket was expanded from six teams to eight teams this year, leaving five postseason bids remaining.
 
A lot can happen in the final few weeks of the regular season with eight teams hunting for the final three spots.
 
The quarterfinals will be conducted on the campus of the higher seeds before the semifinals and championship game is played at the campus of the highest remaining seed from the opening round.
 
The Great Midwest receives an automatic qualification bid to the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional this year (passed by the national men’s soccer committee). Midwest Region rankings will determine the remaining at-large national tournament bids between the G-MAC, Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
 
Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Week
Josh Dickinson
Findlay
Midfield
Sophomore
Doncaster, England (Sir Thomas Wharton)
 
Dickinson compiled numbers in two games that some players would hope having for an entire season as the Oilers beat Walsh and Malone to secure a playoff appearance in their first year with the Great Midwest.
 
With three goals and four assists from the sophomore, Findlay’s explosive offense was on display once again. The Oilers even claimed first place in the conference standings for a few hours on Saturday before Ohio Valley won in the evening.
 
He had six points on Thursday against Walsh, scoring two goals and helping with assists on two others.
 
Against Malone, he also scored and dished out two more assists as the Oilers outscored their combined opponents by a score of 10-3.
 
In 11 games, Dickinson now has four goals and five assists on the season for a total of 13 points. Josh Burton leads Findlay with 15 while teammates Josh Hales and Alex Kerstetter each have 14 points.
 
Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Week
Ian Crook
Ohio Dominican
Goalkeeper
Freshman
Cincinnati, OH (Kings HS)
 
Crook helped Ohio Dominican remain planted in the playoff race with a pair of conference shutouts recorded against Malone and Walsh at home.
 
The freshman helped secure six points in the conference standings to move into a tie with Lake Erie for eighth place if the season ended today.
 
Crook made six saves in each contest to preserve the pair of clean sheets in the max 180 minutes on the field. He faced six shots against Malone and 16 shots against Walsh.
 
The Panthers improved to 4-8 overall (3-7 G-MAC) and effectively stopped a five-game slide last week.