Men's Soccer | 11/17/2016 9:48:00 AM

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Wingate, N.C.----Four of the top teams in NCAA Division II men's soccer are in Wingate this weekend for regional championships and national quarterfinal action at Pride Park. The top-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs host eighth-ranked and defending national champion Pfeiffer University Friday night at 7 p.m. in the Southeast Region championship match. No. 14 Tampa faces 18th-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic Friday at 4 p.m. in the South Region championship. The winners of Friday's contests meet Sunday at 1 p.m. in the NCAA National Quarterfinals at Pride Park.

"We are very excited to be hosting this weekend," head coach Gary Hamill says. "We will have four of the top teams in the country playing at our facility. Playing the defending national champions Friday night is going to be such an experience for our team and fans. Not only will the defending champions be here, but I truly believe the 2016 national champions will be playing also."

Wingate enters the regional title match at 15-1 overall. The top-ranked Bulldogs were the only team in NCAA men's soccer to go undefeated and untied during the regular season. The 'Dogs went 11-0 in SAC play, winning their third consecutive regular season conference title. Wingate is in the regional title match for the first time since 2012, when the Bulldogs won the first regional title in program history.

Wingate is the number one seed in this week's regional tournament. The Bulldogs are in the regional title match after a 3-0 victory over fourth-seeded Limestone College Sunday at Pride Park. All-Region midfielder Callum Ross (Newcastle, England) scored the first goal early in the second half, while two goals from 2015 All-American Jon Ander (Bilbao, Spain) gave the 'Dogs a three-goal win.

This marks the second consecutive season Wingate and Pfeiffer have met in the NCAA Tournament. The two teams met in last year's regional semifinals at Pfeiffer. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute when Ross converted a penalty kick. The Falcons tied it in the 82nd minute when Roberto Soares scored. Pfeiffer struck again a minute later, with Nathan Regis netting the game-winner with just over seven minutes left in regulation. The Falcons would go on to win the national title, finishing the year 25-0.

The Wingate-Pfeiffer contest will feature 13 of the 26 players that earned D2CCA All-Southeast Region honors Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs led the way with seven selections, including five first team honorees. Pfeiffer had six players earn All-Region accolades, with four first team selections including Regis, who earned Region Player of the Year honors.

Friday's regional title match will feature the nation's top-ranked scoring offense against the fourth-ranked defense. Pfeiffer leads the nation with 100 goals, averaging a nation's-best 4.76 goals per game.  The Bulldogs have a 0.50 goals-against average, allowing only eight goals in 16 games. The eight total goals allowed ranks second nationally. Wingate has notched eight shutouts while not allowing multiple goals in any game this year. Pfeiffer has scored multiple goals in all but two games this season.

The Falcons have scored at least five goals in each of their last four games and nine of their last 10 contests overall. Pfeiffer defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 6-1 in the regional semifinals last weekend, getting two goals and two assists from Jaime Siaj, with Regis adding a goal and two assists. Pfeiffer leads the nation in points per game, assists per game, scoring offense, shots per game and shots on goal per game. The Falcons average 24.9 shots per game, while the Wingate defense allows just 6.0 shots per contest.

Wingate had a league-record eight players earn first team All-SAC honors this year, including seniors Alex Nelson (Newcastle, England) and Aksel Juul (Newcastle, England). They were joined by juniors Ross, Ander, Elma N'For (Yaoundé, Cameroon), Vicente Munoz (Santiago, Chile) and Damian Gaona (Santiago, Chile), along with sophomore Pablo Jara (Santiago, Chile).

Four Bulldogs have over 15 points on the year, led by Ander with seven goals and a team-best 10 assists. N'For leads the team with nine goals, adding four assists while Ross has eight goals and three assists. Juul has collected five goals and seven assists on the year, while Nelson has netted four goals while also anchoring one of the nation's best defenses.

Regis leads the Falcons and ranks second nationally with 24 goals, adding 10 assists for a nation's-best 58 points. Siaj has 19 goals and 16 assists, ranking in the top 10 nationally in goals, assists and points. Santi Moar leads the nation with 19 assists, adding 14 goals to rank in the top 10 in the nation with 47 points. Soares has 11 goals and six assists, while Martim Galvao has five goals and 15 assists on the year.

Pfeiffer is out-scoring the opposition 100-17 on the year, with the Bulldogs out-scoring their opponents 42-8 this season. Wingate ranks seventh nationally in shots on goal per game, 12th in points per game and 13th in assists per contest. The Bulldogs have only trailed once all year, in their lone setback against Brevard. Pfeiffer has three games this season of scoring less than three goals, going 1-2 in those matches.

The Bulldogs and Falcons have five common opponents on the season. Pfeiffer beat Lander 4-1, with the 'Dogs beating the Bearcats 2-1. Both teams picked up two-goal wins over Catawba during the season. Tusculum downed Pfeiffer 3-2, while the Bulldogs defeated the Pioneers 2-1. Pfeiffer picked up 7-2 and 5-1 victories over Limestone, while the 'Dogs topped the Saints 3-0. Wingate defeated Lenoir-Rhyne 1-0, with the Falcons downing the Bears 6-1.

The winner of Friday night's top-10 matchup will advance to the national quarterfinals Sunday to face the winner of the South Region championship match between Tampa and Palm Beach Atlantic. The winner of Sunday's contest advances to the Final Four in Kansas City Mo. Dec. 1-3.

NCAA Region Championships
Friday, Nov. 18 (Wingate, N.C.)
4 p.m. Palm Beach Atlantic vs. Tampa (South Region Championship)
7 p.m. Wingate vs. Pfeiffer (Southeast Region Championship)

NCAA Elite Eight
Sunday, Nov. 20 (Wingate, N.C.)
1 p.m. South Region champs vs. Southeast Region champs (NCAA Quarterfinals)

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 10 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 86 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 86 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 95 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 

 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 86 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 86 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 95 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.