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2005 Mid-Con Men's Soccer Seeding Release
Oakland will be top seed at 2005 Mid-Con Men’s Soccer Championship
Oakland's Jeff Wiese |
Oral Roberts' Dave Leung |
Western Illinois' Nowaf Jaman |
Valparaiso's Jeff Oleck |
ELMHURST, ILL. — If the past is any indication, you can throw out the seeds at next weekend’s Mid-Continent Conference Men’s Soccer Championship. Oakland (9-8-0, 5-1-0 Mid-Con) won its fifth regular-season title, which ties Eastern Illinois for the most in Mid-Con history and clinched the top seed in the 2005 Mid-Con Men’s Soccer Championship being held at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo., November 11 & 13. The Golden Grizzlies will be joined by Oral Roberts, Western Illinois and Valparaiso in the single-elimination tournament. The champion will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s College Cup.
Top-seeded Golden Grizzlies will square off against No. 4 seed Valparaiso (6-9-2, 3-2-1 Mid-Con) at 11 a.m. (CST) in the first semifinal match on Friday, November 11. The second semifinal will feature second-seeded Oral Roberts (9-4-2, 4-1-1 Mid-Con) versus defending champion and the No. 3 seed Western Illinois (5-9-3, 3-1-2 Mid-Con) at 2 p.m. The two winners will play at noon on Sunday, November 13.
Oakland has been a perennial contender in the Mid-Con with seven postseason appearances, including taking home the Championship in 2002. The Golden Grizzlies lay claim to the league’s top defensive unit, allowing just 1.24 goals per game. Leading the way for the OU defense is three-time first team all-star and 2004 Defensive Player of the Year Jeff Wiese, who is third in the league in goals against average (1.26) and save percentage (.790). Offensively, head coach Gary Parsons will look to three-time All-Conference pick Chris Edwards and junior tri-captain Jim Denk. Edwards is third in the Mid-Con in shots (55), producing six goals and one assist, while Denk has been a solid contributor from his midfield position with nine points via three goals and three assists.
Oral Roberts enters the Mid-Con tourney with a 5-1-1 mark in its last seven matches, including a 1-0-1 effort in its final two Mid-Con games to clinch a playoff berth. Golden Eagle head coach Steve Hayes will rely on seniors Dave Leung and Jorge Flor to lead ORU to its first Mid-Con Championship since 1999. Leung is the conference’s top scorer with 22 points via nine goals and four assists. As of Oct. 31, he was ranked 14th in the NCAA in points per game and 18th in goals per outing. Flor came on strong in Mid-Con play, tallying eight (3 g, 2 a) of his 21 overall points (8 g, 5 a) against league foes. Defensively, junior newcomer Carlos Veron has stepped into the starting keeper spot nicely, posting a 1.09 goals against average with four shutouts.
Defending Tournament champion Western Illinois hopes to repeat last year’s feat with many of the same players from the 2004 squad back on the field. Junior midfielder Nowaf Jaman continued the offensive success that led to his 2004 Tournament MVP honor. He is fifth in the Mid-Con in points (17) and tied for second in goals (8). In conference play, he continued to shine with seven points thanks to three goals and one assist. Jaman’s top offensive counterparts are junior midfielders Nick Bohnenkamp and Kosuke Kimura. Bohnenkamp is in the Top 15 in the league in points with 11 (3 g, 5 a), while Kimura is tied for the league leads in assists with six. Senior keeper Dave Hanlon battled an early-season injury, but has returned to post a 0.94 goals against average with one shutout in nine appearances.
Valparaiso is making its first Mid-Con Championship appearance since 2002. The Crusaders have a balanced attack on both sides of the ball, led by junior forward D.J. Catrow and senior keeper Jeff Oleck. Catrow is in the Top 10 in the league in points (16), goals (6) and assists (4). Oleck became the school’s all-time shutouts leader (14) after blanking a league-best five opponents this season. The Crusaders allowed just six goals in conference play, with five of those tallies coming in a 5-3 loss to Oral Roberts. Freshman defender Clifton Brown scored two of his three goals this season against conference foes.
2005 Mid-Continent Conference Men's Soccer Championship
Friday, November 11
#1 Oakland vs. #4 Valparaiso, 11 a.m.
#2 Oral Roberts vs. #3 Western Illinois, 2 p.m.
Sunday, November 13
Winner of match #1 vs. Winner of match #2, noon
 
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