Men's Soccer Southern Conference

Davidson Seasons Ends In Unusual Fasion

DAVIDSON, N.C. - The cancellation of the Southern Conference men's soccer tournament this past weekend left the Davidson soccer team hoping it would receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were not one of the 48 teams selected to compete for the national championship.

"We knew that we were on the NCAA Tournament board as a possible at-large invitation," offered Davidson coach Matt Spear. "Our season enjoyed some huge wins, which is always a big plus. The team watched the live selection show together and was disappointed to not be included on the list. There are always going to be arguments on why one team got in and not another, but at this point we must move on in a positive manner."

Davidson's last game of the year was a 1-0 triumph over Georgia Southern in the quaterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament. Consistent rain and poor field conditions forced to tournament to be canceled right before Davidson was to take the field against VMI in the semifinals this past Saturday.

Furman, the number-one seed in the SoCon Tournament, was awarded the league's automatic bid as the Paladins were the highest seed remaining when the tournament was called.

"The team had prepared all season for this event, and we believed we were in a perfect position to grab the title," added Spear. "After gutting out a good win in the quarterfinal, we believed we could get by VMI. Getting the chance to play Furman for a second time in eight days, on a neutral site, would have been a great opportunity."

The Wildcats finished the season 10-6-4 overall, including wins over NCAA Tournament qualifiers North Carolina and South Carolina. Two of the team's ties were against tournament-bound squads as well - Clemson and Lehigh.

"It's been a great season," Spear concluded. "We celebrate our three seniors, who have
led us to three straight winning seasons [for the first time since 1981-83] and we look forward to a bright future."