HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's soccer team will officially open its NCAA Tournament this Sunday at 1 p.m. with a second round matchup against Washington and Lee. The Fords (16-3) are ranked No. 7 in the latest NSCAA Poll and riding a program record 14 game winning streak. They received a bye after earning the top overall seed in the pod. The Generals (16-3-2) are ranked No. 23 in latest NSCAA Poll and won 3-0 against Methodist in their first round game on Thursday against Methodist.
NCAA Required Ticket Prices:
General Admission: $6
Senior Citizens: $3
Students: $3
Children (ages 3-12): $2
*** All Haverford College students, faculty and staff who present a Haverford i.d. will be admitted free of charge courtesy of the Office of the President.
Fords in the NCAA Tournament: Haverford is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The Fords also qualified in the 1976, 1977, 1980 and 2012 seasons. The Fords won their only NCAA Tournament game during the 1980 season. Haverford also advanced to the second round in 2012 with a penalty kick victory against Wesleyan (Conn.).
Series History: These two teams split the only contests in program history, but have not met since 1982. Haverford won the first meeting in 1981 with a 3-2 victory on the road that featured two goals by Barry Boden '85 and one from Richard Marks '81. Josh Duhl '84 and Peter Shulman '86 scored in the meeting the following season as the Generals made the trip to Haverford that season. However, W&L came away with a 4-2 victory.
Common Opponents: Although these teams have not met, they do have a pair of common opponents on their schedule. Washington and Lee lost to Stockton by a 3-0 score in early September. The Fords defeated Stockton later in that month by a 2-0 score. Washington and Lee also took a 1-0 loss at home against Catholic. When Haverford and Catholic met on Walton Field, it was a 3-0 victory for the Fords.
In the National Rankings: Haverford brings the 25th highest scoring attack in Division III into play this weekend. The Fords are averaging 2.74 goals per game. They are allowing just 0.94 goals per game. During the current 14 match winning streak, the Fords have allowed just seven goals – three of which came in a 4-3 victory at Gettysburg – and have recorded nine shutouts among those 14 victories. Washington and Lee is averaging 2.43 goals per game. They are ranked eighth in Division III with 21 shots per contest.
Haverford's 14 game winning streak ranks as the fourth longest active streak in Division III. The Generals have won nine straight entering play this weekend. That active streak ranks among the top 15 at the Division III level.
Scouting Haverford: The Fords had four first-team All-Centennial Conference selections, one second-team honoree and two honorable mention All-CC performers as announced by the conference office. Sam Yarosh was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year. He is 10th in the country with six game-winning goals, 24th with 16 total goals, and ranked 29th with 37 points. Fellow first-team All-CC selection Will Corkery is ranked third nationally with seven game-winning goals. His 12 assists place him 12th in Division III. Brady Seitz (first team) and Tejan Walcott (honorable mention) come into the match with seven and six goals on the season, respectively.
Defensively, Colin Seitz (first team) and Maclyn Willigan (second team) earned all-conference recognition for their work in the Haverford defense. This unit, which is anchored by honorable mention All-CC goalie Sam Miller, has shut out the opposition in 47 percent of its matches, ranking them 59th in the country in that category.
Scouting Washington and Lee: Starting goalie Gillen Beck is allowing just 0.56 goals per game to rank 34th overall in Division III. He has started all but three of his team's games. As a defensive unit, the Generals have posted 11 shutouts on the year. Gillen's save percentage of .859 ranks 34th among DIII goalies.
Offensively, Ben Bayles is leading the team with 11 goals on the season, but ranks just fourth on the team in total shots. Four of those attempts have been game-winning goals. Will Hamryka has taken a team-high 39 shots on the season. Seventeen different players have scored a goal for Washington and Lee with game-winning goals coming from eight different individuals. Defender Patrick Berry is leading the team with four assists.
Up Next: The winner of Sunday's match will advance to the sectional rounds of the NCAA Tournament that will be played on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22. Site locations for the sectional round will be announced next week.