Wheaton College Men's Soccer Set to Make Third Straight NCAA Tournament Appearance, Lyons Slated to Face Keene State in Opening Round

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's soccer team will make a return to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third successive season, fifth time in the last six seasons and sixth occasion overall. Earning an automatic berth into the tournament, the Lyons will face Keene State College in Saturday's opening round at Williams College at 1:30 p.m. Keene State gained entry with one of the final 17 at-large berths.

Wheaton, which captured its fifth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament title and fifth regular season conference crown, enters the championship with a 13-4-2 overall record. Host Williams will play Worcester State College in Saturday's other semifinal at 11:00 a.m., with the winners squaring off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for the opportunity to advance to the sectionals held the following weekend.

The Lyons enter the tournament on an eight-game undefeated streak while remaining unbeaten in 12 of their last 13 games. Ranked in a tie for sixth in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Wheaton has qualified for postseason tournaments in 13 of the last 14 years, including 11 under current head coach Matt Cushing. Boasting an NCAA Tournament mark of 7-3-3 dating back to their first appearance in 1997, a 2-1 win over Keene State, the Lyons have posted a 188-46-18 (.781) record under Cushing, who has compiled one of the highest winning percentages among active coaches.

Staying unbeaten during the conference's regular season for the third time in the NEWMAC's eight-year existence, Wheaton defeated Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 2-1 in Saturday's semifinal at Keefe Field and blanked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 3-0 during Sunday's final. Going 10-1-2 in their last 13 outings, the Lyons have outscored their opponents, 25-6 during that stretch. Leading the league in goals against average, Wheaton's 0.62 average and 12 goals allowed would stand as school records.

Wheaton will look to avenge its 2-1 home loss to Keene State on September 10, a result which evened the all-time series record at 4-4 dating back to the 1997 season. The Owls, who suffered a 4-1 loss to Western Connecticut State University in the Little East Conference (LEC) Tournament semifinal, is currently 12-3-3 while being ranked 18th nationally and third in New England.

Posting 10 shutouts on the season while limiting the opposition to one goal or less on 17 occasions, Wheaton's defense is anchored by senior All-America back James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School). Greenslit, junior Dennis Durao (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) and sophomore Jim Ferriero (Medway, MA/Medway) have assembled one of the strongest defensive corps in school history. Junior keeper David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth), who possesses a shutout streak of 375:48 while allowing one goal in 11 career games, will man the net for the Lyons.

Offensively, forward Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) has turned in the top freshman performance in program history, holding the goals and points records for Wheaton men's soccer freshmen with 13 goals and 29 points. Figuring in 16 of the Lyons' 34 tallies, Lane also has five game-winners. Classmate Jeff Shea (Canton, MA/Canton) is second with 10 points, including four goals and a game-winning tally.