Clarksville, Ark.-No. 8 Ozarks fell 2-1 to Schreiner University in American Southwest Conference men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon.
The loss didn’t hamper Ozarks playoff hopes as they will enter the six-team ASC post-season tournament as the number two seed. Ozarks, ranked number eight in the NCAA III central regional poll, will travel to the campus of the number one seed Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys in Abilene, Texas. The Eagles receive a first round bye and will play the winner of the quarterfinal match-up between Austin College and LeTourneau University on Saturday, November 5 at 10:30 a.m. It is a league-record sixth consecutive time the Eagles have made the playoffs. Head Coach Dave De Hart goes into tournament with the least amount of losses (3) of any team in the playoffs. ????? "The guys are excited about the opportunity to participate in the playoffs," said De Hart. "They feel like they have as good as chance to win as anyone. We are very proud of the history and tradition here. To be there six consecutive years shows a lot of consistency in our program. It’s been a rough year as far as injuries. The injuries are part of the game, but it’s been tough to see different guys on the bench injured week after week. A lot of different people have played different positions because of our injuries. The kids have responded well though. I think our five overtime games will help deal with the pressure of playing in the playoffs, too." ????? The Eagles (13-3-4, 8-2-3) set a new school record and tied a conference record with 11 shutouts this season. The previous school record of ten was set in 2002. 11 shutouts ties a league record owned by both Hardin-Simmons and UT-Dallas. ????? "Our defense has played really well all year and that has been a key to our success," said De Hart. "I’ve always felt that you start with your defense and go from there." ????? Schreiner (9-6-2, 8-4-1) scored in the 15th minute, but Ozarks would tie the match in the 21st minute when Darren Clark nailed a shot past the keeper. Clark’s left-footed strike was his first of the season. Ryan Skelly received the assist. Schreiner, however, took the lead for good in the 65th minute when David Ramos scored the game-winner. The back-and-forth battle saw the two teams end the match with similar statistics. Schreiner out shot Ozarks 11-10. Schreiner held a 4-3 shots on goal advantage. Skelly had a team-best five shots. ????? Ozarks keeper Brian Sarber had two saves. ASC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT (November 4-5-6) @ Hardin-Simmons University Friday, November 4 (quarterfinals) Game 1: Austin College (#3, 11-6-0) vs. LeTourneau (#6, 10-9-1), 10:30 a.m. Game 2: Texas-Dallas (#4, 9-6-3) vs. Schreiner (#5, 9-6-2), 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 5 (semifinals) Game 3: Ozarks (#2, 13-3-4) vs. Winner of Game 1, 10:30 a.m. Game 4: Hardin-Simmons (#1, 11-4-2) vs. Winner of Game 2, 1:00 p.m. Sunday, November 6 (championship match) *Game 5: Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 4, 2:30 p.m. *Winner of the ASC Championship Tournament is the ASC Champion and earns automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.
Topics: Athletics