NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S SOCCER
PLAYOFF SELECTION WEBCAST -- 1 P.M. MONDAY 11/8

NCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
NCAA TOURNAMENT RELEASE

WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER NCAA REGIONAL PAGE
AUGSBURG TOURNAMENT NOTES BELOW

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College will face the College of St. Scholastica in the opening round of the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament in Whitewater, Wis., this Saturday, the NCAA announced on Monday.

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff champions, Augsburg (15-4-1 overall) will face St. Scholastica (17-3-2 overall), regular-season and playoff champions of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Fiskum Field on Saturday at approximately 7:30 p.m. (30 minutes after conclusion of the 5 p.m. game). In the other game at Whitewater at 5 p.m., the host Warhawks (12-2-3 overall) will take on MIAC regular-season champion Macalester (14-4-1 overall). The winners of Saturday's games will meet on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Whitewater.

Augsburg is making its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III national tournament, the first coming in 2008 under head coach Greg Holker. That season, the Auggies advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen” round of the tournament.

The Auggies have won seven games in a row entering the national tournament, including a 1-0 win over Carleton in the MIAC semifinals last Tuesday and a 3-2, overtime win over Concordia-Moorhead in the MIAC finals on Friday at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.

Augsburg's 15-4-1 record ties the most wins for an Auggie squad in program history, tying the 1975 MIAC champion squad, which went 15-2-1. Augsburg has recorded double-digit win campaigns in four of the last five years under Holker, who is 63-38-15 in seven seasons at Augsburg.

St. Scholastica is making its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament, as the UMAC gained an automatic qualifying spot for the national tournament for the first time this season. Augsburg is 7-8-1 all-time against St. Scholastica, and are 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings with the Saints, dating to the 2003 season.

---

NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES

NCAA TOURNAMENT -- Augsburg is competing in the NCAA Division III national tournament for the second time in the last three years, and second time in school history, this weekend in at Fiskum Field in Whitewater, Wis. Augsburg (15-4-1 overall) faces St. Scholastica (17-3-2) on Saturday at approximately 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game of the regional featuring host Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-2-3) against Macalester (14-4-1).

The winners of Saturday's first-round games will meet on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Whitewater, with the winner advancing to face the survivor of the four-team pod featuring Calvin (Mich.), Ohio Northern, Dominican (Ill.) and Thomas More (Ky.) next weekend at a site to be determined.

SECOND NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE FOR AUGSBURG -- Augsburg is making its second NCAA Division III national tournament appearance in school history. Augsburg qualified for the national tournament for the first time in 2008 as an at-large squad, and reached the “Sweet Sixteen” round of the tournament. The Auggies opened with a 1-1 draw at Whitworth (Wash.), advancing with a 4-2 edge in a penalty-kick shootout. The Auggies then traveled to Redlands (Calif.), where they prevailed 1-0. In the third round, the Auggies dropped a 2-1, two-overtime decision at Loras (Iowa).

AUGSBURG VS. ST. SCHOLASTICA -- Augsburg is 9-8-1 all-time against its first-round NCAA tournament opponent, St. Scholastica. Augsburg is unbeaten in its last seven games against the Saints (6-0-1), dating to the 2003 season.

All-time scores:
Oct. 20, 2009 at Augsburg -- Augsburg 2, St. Scholastica 1
Oct. 14, 2008 at St. Scholastica -- Augsburg 1, St. Scholastica 1 (2OT)
Oct. 3, 2007 at Augsburg -- Augsburg 1, St. Scholastica 0
Sept. 20, 2006 at St. Scholastica -- Augsburg 3, St. Scholastica 0
Oct. 1, 2005 at Augsburg -- Augsburg 4, St. Scholastica 0
Sept. 25, 2004 at St. Scholastica -- Augsburg 4, St. Scholastica 1
Sept. 5, 2003 at Augsburg -- Augsburg 3, St. Scholastica 1
Oct. 10, 1999 at Augsburg -- St. Scholastica 4, Augsburg 0
Sept. 1, 1998 at St. Scholastica -- St. Scholastica 1, Augsburg 0
Sept. 13, 1997 at Augsburg -- St. Scholastica 2, Augsburg 1
Sept. 15, 1996 at Augsburg -- St. Schoalstica 1, Augsburg 0
Sept. 17, 1995 at St. Scholastica -- Augsburg 4, St. Scholastica 3
Oct. 30, 1993 at St. Scholastica -- St. Scholastica 6, Augsburg 1
Sept. 10, 1992 at Augsburg -- St. Scholastica 3, Augsburg 0
Sept. 12, 1991 at St. Scholastica -- St. Scholastica 4, Augsburg 0
Oct. 11, 1989 at St. Scholastica -- St. Scholastica 3, Augsburg 0
Sept. 27, 1980 at St. Scholastica -- Augsburg 4, St. Scholastica 2
Sept. 26, 1979 at Augsburg -- Augsburg 4, St. Scholastica 0

AUGSBURG VS. WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER -- Augsburg has faced Wisconsin-Whitewater twice in men's soccer in school history. The first time was a 4-2 Wisconsin-Whitewater win on Sept. 3, 1988 at the Viterbo (Wis.) Tournament in La Crosse, Wis., and the most recent was a 1-1, two-overtime tie on Sept. 26, 2008 in Whitewater, Wis.

AUGSBURG VS. MACALESTER -- As MIAC schools, Augsburg has faced Macalester 47 times since 1969, with Augsburg holding a 23-22-2 advantage. The series had two major periods of domination by one team, with Augsburg going 21-0-1 from 1972 to 1986, and Macalester going 20-0-1 from 1987 to 2007. Augsburg has won two of the last three meetings between the two schools -- a 4-0 win at Augsburg on Oct. 31, 2008 and a 1-0, two-overtime win on Sept. 25, 2010 at Augsburg. Macalester claimed a 1-0 win on Sept. 23, 2009 on its home field.

AUGSBURG ON SEVEN-GAME WINNING STREAK -- Augsburg enters the NCAA tournament on a seven-game winning streak, the longest winning streak of any of the four schools in the Wisconsin-Whitewater regional (St. Scholastica is 7-0-1 with a current two-game winning streak in its last eight games, while Macalester and Wisconsin-Whitewater enter the NCAA playoffs coming off of losses in their last games).

In the seven-game winning streak, Augsburg has outscored its opponents by a 13-4 margin, including four shutout victories. The Auggies have also claimed a 107-60 advantage in shots and a 45-29 advantage in corner kicks.

Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) and Mohamed Sankoh (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Como Park HS) have three goals each in the seven-game streak, while Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) and Josh Sweeney (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) have two goals each. Will Morlock (FY, Grand Haven, Mich.) and Clayton Lynch (FY, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS) have both appeared in goal for the Auggies, with Morlock winning four games with three shutouts, 15 saves and a 0.49 goals-against-average, and Lynch winning three games with a shutout, five saves and a 0.67 GAA.

AUGSBURG WINS MIAC PLAYOFF TITLE -- Augsburg claimed two victories last week to clinch their first-ever MIAC postseason title in the school's third trip to the MIAC postseason playoffs in the last five years.

Last Tuesday, Augsburg reached the MIAC playoff championship with a 1-0 win over Carleton at Edor Nelson Field. The lone goal of the game came at the 25:53 mark, when Matt Bowman (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) put a free kick service into the box from the left side. Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) leaped and headed the ball past the Carleton goalie for the goal.

No. 2-seed Augsburg outshot No. 3-seed Carleton by a 10-7 margin and held a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks in the game. Augsburg goalkeeper Will Morlock (FY, Grand Haven, Mich.) claimed four saves in goal for his seventh shutout of the season and third in a row.

Last Friday, the Auggies claimed the MIAC playoff title with a dramatic 3-2, come-from-behind victory over No. 4-seed Concordia-Moorhead at Edor Nelson Field. Concordia took a 2-0 lead in the 57th minute, but the Auggies rallied with three goals to claim the win. Augsburg outshot Concordia by a 30-18 margin, and had 12 corner kicks to Concordia's six. Morlock had five saves for Augsburg.

The Auggies earned a penalty kick in the 71st minute, with Peter Loyd (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) connecting for his third goal of the season. Nine minutes later, Sankoh scored the first of his two goals, sliding the ball to the net off a feed from Gilmer. Sankoh completed the Auggie comeback 8:08 into the first overtime, scoring on a rebound off a scramble in front of the net, again assisted by Gilmer.

AUGSBURG BACK IN NATIONAL RANKINGS -- Following the Auggies' triumph in the MIAC postseason playoffs, Augsburg has moved back into the national rankings. In the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III national poll, Augsburg is in the No. 25 spot. Wisconsin-Whitewater is ranked No. 15 in the same poll. All four teams in the Wisconsin-Whitewater regional are ranked in the North Region, with Wisconsin-Whitewater No. 2, Augsburg No. 3, Macalester No. 4 and St. Scholastica No. 5. The Auggies were previously ranked in the NSCAA national poll twice this season, at No. 23 in the Sept. 28 ranking and No. 24 in the Oct. 5 poll.

In the other major national poll, the D3soccer.com top 25 poll, Augsburg received one vote in the Nov. 7 ranking in the “Others receiving votes” category. Wisconsin-Whitewater is ranked No. 15 in the D3soccer.com poll.

AUGGIES EARN MIAC'S TOP AWARDS -- For the first time in program history, Augsburg has earned both of the conference's top awards for men's soccer, as head coach Greg Holker was named MIAC Coach of the Year and forward Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) was named MIAC Most Valuable Player.

Six Auggie players earned conference honors in men's soccer, with Gilmer, defender Peter Loyd (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and forward Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) earning All-MIAC first-team honors, forward Ahmed Gobana (JR, Burnsville, Minn.) and midfielder #T.J. Haag# (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville HS) earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors, and midfielder Matt Bowman (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) earning a spot on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

Holker earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career, after being named to the award by his conference peers in 2006. This season, Holker has led the Auggies to a 15-4-1 overall record, a second-place MIAC regular-season finish (7-2-1) and the conference playoff championship for the first time in school history. Augsburg has reached the MIAC playoffs three of the last five years, and will make its second trip in the last three years to the NCAA Division III national playoffs.

He has led a dramatic turnaround of Augsburg's men's soccer fortunes in his seven seasons at Augsburg, with a 71-46-16 (.594) record entering the NCAA playoffs. His 71 wins in seven years matches the win totals of the 18 Auggie seasons prior to his arrival (71-212-17 from 1986 to 2003).

FOURTH DOUBLE-DIGIT SEASON IN FIVE YEARS -- Under head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the MIAC. At 15-4-1, it is the fourth time in the last five seasons that Augsburg has had a double-digit win campaign -- the best run of success since a stretch of eight straight double-digit-win seasons from 1973 to 1980, which included MIAC titles in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1980.

Augsburg's 15 wins matches the 1975 squad (15-2-1) for the most single-season wins of any Augsburg team. Augsburg's 7-2-1 MIAC record is its best since the team's NCAA playoff season of 2008, and Augsburg's second-place MIAC regular-season finish is its best since the conference title season of 1980.

GILMER HAVING AN ALL-AMERICAN SEASON -- Sophomore Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), one of the most versatile players in the MIAC, is building a resume that could see him become the third Augsburg player to earn All-American honors since 2006. He earned MIAC Player of the Year awards this season, becoming the first Auggie to ever win the award. He was also named to the All-MIAC first team, after earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors last year.

Gilmer is the first Auggie to earn MIAC Player of the Year honors since the award was established in 1984, and just the third sophomore to ever earn the honor, joining Tom McCarr of St. Thomas in 1985 and John Boyd of St. John's in 1986. Gilmer is also the first non-senior to earn MIAC Player of the Year award since Kevin Jensen of St. Olaf claimed the first of back-to-back Player of the Year honors in 1998.

Gilmer has proven his versatility for his squad this season. He started the season as a forward, but has played multiple positions on the field throughout the year, starting at defender in the Auggies' most recent games. A dangerous player on set pieces, Gilmer leads the Auggies with eight goals this year, adding five assists for 21 points, including four game-winning goals. He has seen action in 1,507 of Augsburg's 1,841 team minutes (81.9 percent) this season, the second-most minutes played of any Auggie.

His eight goals tied him for fourth among all conference players in overall statistics, and his 21 points were tied for fifth-best in the league. In conference games-only, his four goals and 10 points both ranked ninth-best among league players. An All-MIAC honorable-mention recipient last season, Gilmer now has nine goals and five assists for 23 points in 34 career games (all starts). This season, Augsburg is now 9-1-1 in games in which he has either a goal or assist.

BOWMAN BOUNCES BACK -- Two years ago, Augsburg men's soccer midfielder Matt Bowman (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.) nearly died on the Edor Nelson Field surface. Now, he's healthy and has a chance to contribute to Augsburg's postseason run.

In a preseason scrimmage in August 2008, Bowman collapsed on the field and nearly died. He was diagnosed with a form of anomalous coronary artery heart defect -- a very rare condition that usually kills 80 percent of its victims before it is diagnosed. In layman's terms, one of Bowman's arteries was located in the wrong place since his birth.

Bowman was forced to have a difficult open-heart surgery at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital on Sept. 12, 2008, to correct the ailment, and missed the entire 2008 season. He returned to the Auggie lineup in 2009 and played in all 17 games, starting 14, playing 975 of the team's 1,573 minutes (62 percent) and contributing a goal and three assists.

This season, Bowman has appeared in 20 games (15 starts), with a goal and a team-high-tying six assists while playing in 980 of the team's 1,841 minutes (53.2 percent). He ranks seventh in the MIAC's overall statistics in assists,

Bowman was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team this year. As a part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative, members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

TRANSFERS PAYING BIG DIVIDENDS -- Forward Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) joined the Auggies this season after playing his first three years at Division I Providence (R.I.). So far, the transfer has paid big dividends for the Auggies. Wexler has six goals and one assists for 13 points in 19 games (17 starts), the second-most goals of any Auggie, including four game-winning goals. His six goals rank eighth among MIAC players in overall statistics. Wexler was named to the All-MIAC squad this season.

Wexler is one of three transfers on the Auggie roster, joining defender Tyler Heaps (SO, St. Paul, Minn./DeLaSalle HS), who transferred from North Park (Ill.), and midfielder Josh Sweeney (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS), who transferred from Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Sweeney has scored four goals with two assists for 10 points in 20 games, while Heaps has two assists in 19 games.

LOYD HAS ANOTHER ALL-MIAC SEASON -- Peter Loyd (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) has been one of the reliable anchors of Augsburg's defense, which has allowed just 15 goals (0.73 team goals-against-average, second-best among MIAC teams) all season, while recording a league-high 12 shutouts. For the second straight year, Loyd earned All-MIAC first-team honors, after earning All-MIAC honorable-mention honors his first year.

Loyd has seen action in a team-high 1,662 minutes of action -- on the field 90.3 percent of the team's total minutes this season, with three goals to his credit. In his three seasons at Augsburg (57 games, 56 starts), he has six goals and one assists for 13 points.

NEW GOALKEEPERS IMPRESSIVE -- The biggest question mark entering this season was in the goalkeeping department, where head coach Greg Holker forecasted that two first-year players would see the bulk of playing time. So far, those two first-year players -- Clayton Lynch (FY, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS) and Will Morlock (FY, Grand Haven, Mich.) -- have played up to their expectations. Morlock has seen action in 12 games with 31 saves, a 0.88 goals-against-average, an 8-3-1 record and seven shutouts, while Lynch has seen action in eight games with 18 saves, a 0.50 GAA, a 7-1-0 record and five shutouts.

Both have been tested in big games recently, as Lynch was in goal for the Auggies' 2-1 win at Carleton on Oct. 16, and Morlock was in goal for the last two wins of the regular season, and both victories in the MIAC postseason playoffs.

GOBANA, HAAG NAMED ALL-MIAC HONORABLE MENTION -- Augsburg's Ahmed Gobana (JR, Burnsville, Minn.) and #T.J. Haag# (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville HS) were both named All-MIAC honorable-mention on Wednesday, earning the first all-conference honors of their careers.

Gobana shined as a starter at forward this season, with three goals and a team-high-tying six assists in 20 games (19 starts), ranking him seventh in the MIAC's overall statistics in that category. In his two seasons as an Auggie (34 games, 29 starts), Gobana has eight goals and six assists for 22 points, including two game-winning goals.

Haag has developed a reputation as a solid midfielder, seeing action in 18 games (12 starts) and 964 minutes this year. In two seasons after transferring from Dakota County Technical College, Haag has one assist in 27 Auggie games (19 starts). This past summer, he also played for the Rochester Thunder, a United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League team.

FIRST-YEAR SANKOH STEPS UP WHEN IT COUNTS -- First-year forward Mohamed Sankoh (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Como Park HS) has emerged as a crucial reserve for the Auggies, stepping in during key times in recent games. Sankoh has seen action in 15 games, with one start, and has played in 371 minutes of action, an average of 24.7 minutes per-game. But in recent weeks, his contributions have proven huge for the Auggies.

On Oct. 29, he scored his first collegiate goal in the 42nd minute, the lone goal for Augsburg in its 1-0 win over Gustavus, which clinched an MIAC postseason playoff berth for the Auggies. And last Friday, his two-goal effort, including the game-winning goal in the first overtime, sent the Auggies to the NCAA tournament in the 3-2, overtime win over Concordia-Moorhead in the MIAC playoff championship game at Edor Nelson Field.