W&J men’s soccer seeking first PAC title since 2007
Following a thrilling Wednesday of Presidents’ Athletic Conference semifinal soccer action, top-seeded Thomas More and No. 2 Washington & Jefferson advanced to the championship match via penalty kicks.
The Presidents play at the top-seeded Saints today in Crestview Hills, Ky.
Thomas More is trying to win its fifth consecutive conference title, while W&J is in search of its first league crown since 2007.
The winner earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The Presidents are making their eighth appearance in the PAC championship game and are searching for their fourth conference championship.
After Thomas More (14-2-2) and fourth-seeded Geneva (8-7-4) played to a 1-1 tie, the Saints got the best of the Golden Tornadoes, 4-2, in penalty kicks.
The nightcap semifinal match between No. 3 seed Grove City and W&J finished in similar fashion, as there were no goals scored during the 110 minutes. In the final penalty kick round, Presidents goalkeeper Jon Best delivered the game-winning kick, giving W&J the 4-3 advantage. James Calvert, Brian Hanna and Anthony Sorco also converted for the Presidents.
Since Thomas More became a PAC member in 2005, the Saints and Presidents have met in the conference tournament four times, including two meetings in the final: 2007 in Washington and 2009 in Crestview Hills. The last time the teams met in the postseason, Thomas More advanced in the 2010 semifinals, winning 5-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 double-overtime tie.
During the regular season, the Saints and Presidents met two weeks ago with Thomas More winning 2-0. W&J was held to two shots in the match, while Thomas More registered 12. Freshman defender RJ Best, who will be out of today’s championship match because of a red card during the semifinals, scored both Thomas More goals during the regular-season matchup.
Thomas More boasts the second-best scoring offense in the PAC, tallying 42 goals, and owns the league’s top defense, allowing just 12 goals. W&J has the third-best defense in the conference, allowing only 22 goals, and has a PAC-high 10 shutouts.
Hanna leads the Presidents’ offense with six goals.