SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship shifts to Greensboro, North Carolina, and the UNCG Soccer Stadium for the semifinal and final matches, beginning Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Top four seeds ETSU, Mercer, Wofford and UNCG will all be vying for the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.
Both of Thursday’s semifinal matches will air live on the SoCon Digital Network, with Jason Patterson (play-by-play) and Phil Cox (color) on the call. Saturday’s championship match, set for 5 p.m., will be broadcast live on ESPN3, with Pete Yanity handling play-by-play duties and Charlie Slagle serving as analyst.
Tickets for this weekend’s games can be purchased from UNCG’s Ticket Office (336-334-3250) or at the UNCG Soccer Stadium entrance beginning one hour prior to each day’s competition. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 5-12 years old. Children 4 and under, as well as students with a valid SoCon school ID, will be admitted for free.
Thursday’s first semifinal will pit regular-season SoCon champion ETSU (11-4-2, 7-1-2 SoCon) against tournament host and No. 4 seed UNCG (11-6-2, 6-4-0). The Bucs, who are receiving votes in the latest NSCAA national poll and who won their first SoCon title, earned a bye into the semifinals, while the Spartans downed rival and No. 5 seed Furman in the first round of the tournament, 1-0, on Saturday, Nov. 5.
ETSU and UNCG have met in the SoCon tournament twice. In 2014, No. 4 seed UNCG beat No. 5 seed ETSU 2-1 in double overtime in Greensboro in the first round. Last year, the two met in the semifinals in Johnson City, Tennessee, playing to a 1-1 draw and seeing the fourth-seeded Bucs oust the No. 1 seed in penalty kicks, 6-5.
In the regular season this year, ETSU downed the Spartans twice, taking a 4-3 win in double overtime in Greensboro and a 1-0 win at home.
ETSU, which reached the title match last season, is seeking its first SoCon tournament title. UNCG is in the SoCon semifinals for the 17th time in 20 tournament appearances. The Spartans have reached the final 10 times and have won five titles.
Thursday’s second semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Mercer (12-6-0, 7-3-0 SoCon) against No. 3 seed Wofford (12-6-0, 6-4-0) at 6 p.m. The Bears swept two regular-season meetings, taking a 2-0 home win and a 3-1 win on the road. The two will be meeting in the SoCon Championship for the first time.
Mercer, which has reached the semifinals in each of its three seasons in the SoCon, earned a bye into the semis this year with its second-place league finish. The Bears, who played in the title match in 2014, are seeking their first championship.
In the semifinals for the fifth time after a 3-1 win over No. 6 seed VMI in the first round, Wofford is seeking its second title and first since 2009. The Terriers have reached the championship match three times, most recently in 2013, when it fell in double overtime to Elon.
The SoCon Championship will be played in Greensboro for the 10th time overall and first since 2014. The first seven editions of the tournament took place in the city, with the inaugural championship in 1988 being played at E.E. Smith High School. The next six were played at Bryan Park, and UNCG hosted the tournament at its UNCG Soccer Stadium for the first time in 2007. The Spartans will be hosting the tournament for the third time.
The winner of the tournament will earn the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. The NCAA Selection show will air on NCAA.com on Monday at 1 p.m.
2016 SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship
Quarterfinal Round, Saturday, Nov. 5
Campus sites (at higher seeds)
Match 1: No. 4 UNCG 1, No. 5 Furman 0
Match 2: No. 3 Wofford 3, No. 6 VMI 1
Semifinals, Thursday, Nov. 10
Greensboro, N.C.
Match 3: No. 1 ETSU at No. 4 UNCG, 3:30 p.m. (SDN)
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 3 Wofford, 6 p.m. (SDN)
Championship, Saturday, Nov. 12
Greensboro, N.C.
Match 5: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner, 5 p.m. (ESPN3)
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