The Colorado College men's soccer team is set to compete in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Tournament for the first time in 30 years on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1:30 p.m. (EST) against Ohio Northern,
Last Time Out
The Tigers prevailed in the rounds of 64 and 32 after defeating both Oglethorpe and No. 9 Emory University in Atlanta, GA. last weekend.
CC ousted Oglethorpe 3-2, overcoming a two-goal deficit in the second half by scoring three unanswered goals to obtain their first NCAA tournament win since 2012.
Will Bavier scored the game-winner in the 84th minute, the second of his career and first of the season, after
Alexander Ward and
Oliver Ramirez helped tie the game up with goals in the 59th and 67th minutes.
Against Emory the next day, CC scored first when
Connor Webster put the team ahead in the 22nd minute after an assist from Ward. The Eagles would eventually tie up in the second half to the first overtime, in which both periods went scoreless to force penalties.
CC hit on all five PKs while keeper
Jasper Broad made a fantastic save on Emory's second attempt. It was Ward's final kick to secure the first Sweet 16 appearance since the 1993 season and the first set of tournament wins since the 1992 season.
History in the Making
This season has carried much weight, solely behind the historical landmarks the Tigers have set.
They won their first SCAC regular season title since 2019 by going undefeated and untied (8-0) in SCAC play for the first time in program history. The Tigers ended the regular season with a 13-2-1 record.
Fast forward past an upset loss in the SCAC Tournament as the Tigers rebounded to win back-to-back games on the road against two talented teams in Oglethorpe and Emory, to return to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three decades.
Playmakers
CC's identity is rooted in being a well-balanced team that doesn't rely on one goal scorer to carry their offense.
Ramirez, Ward, and Webster, the three point leaders for the program, have all contributed to the NCAA Tournament thus far. Ramirez scored one of the three against the Stormy Petrels. He leads the team with 19 points (eight goals and three assists).
Ward is the Tigers' assist leader with eight. He recorded one in each game in Atlanta and a goal against Oglethorpe. Webster is tied with Ramirez for a team-high eight goals. He played a combined 123 minutes last weekend and scored the only CC regulation goal against Emory.
Jasper Broad's heroics in the box during the shootout against Emory will be remembered for a long time. The Miami, Fl. native made a combined 16 saves in Atlanta and currently has a goals-against average of .95.
Scouting the Polar Bears
Ohio Northern enters this weekend with a 13-5-4 record and appears in their second-straight Sweet 16 matchup.
The Polar Bears downed Lynchburg in an insane round of penalty kicks (7-6) and followed it up with a historic defeat of No. 1 Messiah in the Round of 32 after winning 1-0. The win over the No. 1 overall team in the tournament ended a 43-match unbeaten streak for the Falcons.
CC and ONU faced off earlier this year in Ada, OH. on Sept. 9 and it ended in a 1-1 tie. The Polar Bears were ranked No. 13 in the country at the time.
