Men's Soccer | 11/13/2014 11:09:00 AM

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BLOOMSBURG:  Roster  |  Schedule  |  Stats
CHARLESTON:  Roster  |  Schedule  |  Stats
 
STORYLINE
The Bloomsburg University men's soccer team has earned its second NCAA Division II Tournament bid in school history and will seek to upset top-overall seeded Charleston (WV) on Saturday night. The Huskies are the No. 4 seed from the Atlantic Region while Charleston went through the season undefeated to earn hosting rights.
 
Saturday's game is a second round matchup – none of the Atlantic Region teams played first round matchups.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Bloomsburg eyes its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory – the Huskies only other trip to the tournament resulted in a 1978 1-0 loss at Missouri-St. Louis. Saturday's winner advances to the third round against the winner of No. 2 Mercyhurst vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (OH) which will take place Sunday afternoon in Erie.
 
SCOUTING CHARLESTON (WV)
The Golden Eagles have been the definition of dominant this fall, posting an 18-0-1 record while outscoring opponents 74-9 while rising to No. 1 in the nation. Charleston has also won all 10 of its home games on the year. The only tie of the year for the Golden Eagles came on Oct. 5 – a 1-1 deadlock at West Virginia Wesleyan.
 
Charleston won the Mountain East Conference championship with a 2-0 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinals and then defeated Wheeling Jesuit, 1-0, in the finals. Jake Young scored his first goal of the year in the 69th minute for the game's only score while Fabian Veit made one save for the win – UC outshot the Cardinals 16-3.
 
Junior midfielder Augusto Maciel and freshman forward Will Roberts lead the Golden Eagles' high-powered scoring attack – both have 15 goals on the year with Maciel totaling 41 points while Roberts has 35. Veit has started 15 matches and has a 0.34 goals against average with 30 saves in over 1,300 minutes in net.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Golden Eagles boast players from around the globe – in fact, 33 players on the very large roster hail from outside the United States.
 
REPRESENTING THE PSAC
Only 35 teams in Division II are still playing – two are from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Along with the Huskies, Mercyhurst also is in the field as the No. 2 seed from the Atlantic Region.
 
BREAKING DOWN THE TOURNAMENT
Two to six teams were selected from each of the eight regions. Four teams earned berths from the Atlantic Region – Charleston, Mercyhurst, Notre Dame (OH) and Bloomsburg. Teams from the same region will be paired for first- and/or second-round competition, which will be conducted Nov. 13-16 on campus sites. Third-round/quarterfinals will be held on campus sites and completed by Nov. 23.

The semifinals and final will be played Dec. 4 and 6 at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, as a part of the 2014 Division II National Championship Fall Festival. The festival is hosted by Bellarmine and the Louisville Sports Commission.

HUSKIES STAT LEADERS
Anthony Cerda (Budd Lake, NJ/Mount Olive) and Spencer Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro) each have six goals and two assists for a total of 14 points; Austin Transue (Langhorne/Neshaminy) has five goals and two assists for 12 points while Matt Zima (Newtown/Council Rock North) and James Kiama (Shippensburg/Shippensburg) each have four goals and two assists for 10 points apiece. Transue also has fired the most shots on goal - 18.
 
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Regardless of how Saturday's game turns out, the 2014 season will be one to remember for the Huskies. Bloomsburg enters the weekend having tied the most wins in program history (13) and also earned a national ranking for the first time since 2002. Another record on the line is that of season shutouts – freshman Jared Ott (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) is tied for the school record with eight on the year.
 
ALL-PSAC SELECTIONS
The Huskies earned four all-conference selections earlier this week – Matt Zima (Newtown/Council Rock North) and Jared Ott (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) were both named to the first team while Mike Bamford (Doylestown/Central Bucks West) and Roma Loboda (Waverly/Abington Heights) received second team nods. The four all-conference picks are the most for the Huskies since 2009 and is one off the school record of five set in 2008. Head coach Paul Payne was named PSAC Coach of the Year for the second time after leading the Huskies to 13 wins and a spot in the PSAC Championship Game for the first time since 2011.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Charleston boasts the second-most goals in the nation (74) behind only the 76 scored by Southern New Hampshire. The Huskies, however, have had an outstanding defense all season long – with three All-PSAC picks on the back line and another in the net, Bloomsburg has surrendered only 21 goals all year – the second-lowest total in the PSAC behind only Mercyhurst (20). That is the lowest total allowed by the Huskies since 2009, a squad that also allowed 21 goals to opponents, – however, that year the Huskies played 18 matches while this year's team has played 20.
 
In all, Bloomsburg has tallied nine shutouts this year and allowed one goal or less in 15 matches.
 
AIMING TO START A NEW STREAK
Bloomsburg had its seven-match winning streak, its longest since 2002, snapped with a loss in the PSAC Championship game at Mercyhurst.
 
GOING FOR AN UPSET
The Huskies will vie for their first win over a nationally ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 9 Slippery Rock, 1-0, at home on Sept. 17, 2010. In 2011, the Huskies took then-No. 8 California (PA) to double overtime before falling, 2-1.
 
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
Bloomsburg brought many unknowns into the 2014 season with the addition of 11 true freshmen as well as two redshirt freshmen to the roster. The results have been spectacular as the young players have played beyond their years – among the standouts, Ott has a 1.05 goals against average in the net; forward Anthony Cerda (Budd Lake, NJ/Mount Olive) is tied for the team lead in goals with six including the game-winner in the PSAC semifinal win over Seton Hill and also adds two assists for 14 points - Cerda's six goals are also the most among PSAC freshmen; midfielder Brett Milden (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) has started 13 straight matches with four points and Hamilton Rodkey (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) has logged time in all 20 matches with three assists and the game-winner at Lock Haven while several others have received key minutes all season long. Austin Transue (Langhorne/Neshaminy) redshirted last year as a true freshman due to injury and has also added a strong scoring threat with five goals and two assists for 12 total points.
 
Bloomsburg has just two seniors on the roster – starters Nate Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro) and Roma Loboda (Waverly/Abington Heights).
 
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Bloomsburg finished last season at 8-9-1 and missed out on the conference tournament in the season's final day. One big reason for this year's turnaround is on offense – while the Huskies allowed only 25 goals last year, they scored just 18. This fall, the Huskies are averaging over two goals per game with a total of 41 for the season.
 
The Huskies' 41 goals are the most for the team since scoring 47 in 2002.
 
HAPPY TRAILS
The Huskies have played well away from home this year. Bloomsburg is 5-2-2 at Steph Pettit Stadium but boasts a 7-3 record at road sites.