INDIANAPOLIS – At least one Great Midwest Athletic Conference institution will be competing in the 2017 NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship bracket this fall, and the league is hopeful for additional at-large postseason representation.
The DII Championships committee approved conference automatic qualification back in January to officially open the door for a Great Midwest school to return to the national tourney for the first time since 2015 (Cedarville).
Reigning conference tournament champion Alderson Broaddus will have its hands full fending off the hungry pack in the standings as the preseason favorite.
The Battlers’ triumphant celebration to finish the G-MAC Championship last year in Elkins, W.Va., culminated with a Fernando Franco overtime game winner, one of the most iconic series of photographs captured in conference history.
AB won its first conference title in men’s soccer despite going into the conference tourney as the No. 4 seed. The Battlers are buoyed by a pair of standouts who continued to grab headlines in the offseason, reigning offensive player of the Year Shavon John-Brown and league freshman of the year Ashley Sibisi.
John-Brown and Sibisi teamed up as members of the Charlotte Eagles to win a Premier Development League (PDL) Championship in Charlotte, N.C. The dynamic duo is looking to carry that momentum this fall after combining for 45 points (17 G, 11 A) in their first season together.
John-Brown, entering his senior season, was also the Grenada Footballer of the Year for contributions to his home country in the CFA Cup qualification matches. AB was aggressive with non-conference scheduling last year and the theme continues with United Soccer preseason #18 Saginaw Valley State and #2 Charleston on the docket.
Davis & Elkins went into the playoffs as the top seed and had a great season at 10-4-3. Tim Staerz (5 G, 6 A) had three game-winning shots as G-MAC Coach of the Year Frank Olszewski navigated the program to a regular-season title in his debut.
Assuming the controls of the women’s program as well, head coach Luis Rincon had Ohio Valley’s resurgence reflected with seven all-conference selections, including three on the all-freshman team. Their next step in the development curve could make the Fighting Scots a serious title contender as soon as this year.
Cedarville has won three of the Great Midwest’s five conference tournament trophies and nearly won the fourth to end last season. The Yellow Jackets still accumulated 12 wins and return first-team all-conference midfielder John Schwien (2 G, 5 A).
Trevecca Nazarene led the league in goals scored per game (1.94) as a unit and a big reason was the continued emergence of junior forward Nicolas Reinhard. The playmaking German product tied for the second in the conference in goals, points and assists.
Kentucky Wesleyan also made the six-team conference tournament format with an impressive win in Owensboro against Ohio Valley down the stretch of the regular season. KWC also beat Malone; senior keeper Grant Allen is the conference’s career leader in saves (226).
Lake Erie (8-7-4) was one of four teams in the GLIAC to advance to the conference tournament last year. The Storm are new to the Great Midwest along with Ohio Dominican (7-11-0), Findlay (7-10-1) and Walsh (6-10-2). The four new schools to the scene will look to make their presence felt.
ODU’s Ryan Kasprzak, a junior forward, was fourth in the GLIAC in both goals scored (11) and points (26) last season. The Panthers also ranked third in their former conference in goals scored as a team (34). Malone is looking to get back on track as the Pioneers prepare for their second year in the league.
This year’s Great Midwest Championship bracket will feature eight teams. The first rounds will be played at the higher seeds before the top remaining seed would host the semifinals and the final.
The start of the regular season gets underway Thursday, Aug. 31. Select conference teams will be streaming home contests on the Great Midwest Digital Network courtesy of Stretch Internet.