MARCY, N.Y. - After earning the #1 seed in the West Division of the North Atlantic Conference during the regular season, the SUNY Poly men's soccer team earned the right to host the first two rounds of Divisional Tournament play this weekend. SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field will play host to three games over two days to crown the NAC West Division Champions.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT:

The first round will feature the top four teams from the West Division facing off on Saturday, October 29th. The #1 seeded Wildcats will play in the first game on Saturday against the #4 seeded SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers. That match is scheduled for a 12:00 PM start. The #2 seeded SUNY Canton Kangaroos and the #3 seeded SUNY Delhi Broncos will play in Saturday's second match at 2:30 PM.

The winners of the quarterfinal games will advance to play in the NAC West Division semifinal game. The winner of the semifinal will be the NAC West Division Champion and will face the NAC East Division Champion on Saturday, November 5th in the NAC Championship game. The NAC Champion will receive the NAC's bid for the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.

HOW ABOUT THOSE WILDCATS:

The Wildcats were great in the 2022 regular season. They finished with a 10-4-3 record and a 7-0-2 record in NAC play. They were a perfect 5-0 in West Division play, earning the #1 seed. Poly averaged 2.41 goals per game. Last year's NAC Defensive Player of the Year and USC All-Region Player Wakeley Banker was the team's leading scorer this season with 16 points on eight goals. Edgar Gomez and Matthew McCord had 10 points each in the regular season. Gomez had four goals and two assists. McCord had five goals. Aboubacar Camara and Abus Mohamed-Ali each had nine points for the Wildcats. The Wildcat goalkeeping and defense were outstanding this season, allowing just .76 goals per game. James D'Alessio and Ryan Primus played the lion's share of the minutes in goal this season. D'Alessio went 5-1 with 20 saves in 534 minutes played. Primus went 3-2-3 with 26 saves in 708 minutes played.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING TIGERS:

The SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers earned the #4 seed after finishing divisional play with a 2-3 record. Their two wins in divisional play were their only wins this season. They had a 2-14-2 overall record. Cobleskill averaged .39 goals per game with 8.6 shots taken per game. Nicholas DePaulo and Derek Stretter led the Fighting Tigers with four points each. Both players scored two goals. The Cobleskill keeper, John Gergen started in 15 games this season and recorded 102 saves. He allowed 39 goals per game in 1330 minutes (2.64 GAA).

LAST MEETING:

The Wildcats and the Fighting Tigers last met on October 1st at Cobleskill. The Wildcats earned a convincing 4-0 win. Matthew McCord and Aboubacar Camara each scored a pair of goals in the game. The Wildcats shut out the Fighting Tigers allowing six shots on goal. Ryan Primus made all six saves, but Chase Coluccio earned the win in goal as the starter.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The NAC East Division Champions and the NAC West Division Champions will clash on November 5th for the NAC Championship. The two top-seeded teams are Husson University (25 points) and SUNY Poly (23 points). If both #1 seeds make it out of their respective brackets, Husson will host the Championship Game in Bangor, Maine. If that scenario does not play out, the top remaining team will be the host for the NAC Championship Game. The current point totals can be found below.

MEN'S SOCCER POSTSEASON TEAM POINTS

WHERE TO WATCH:

All of this weekend's games will be streamed live on the SUNY Poly Sports Network (SPSN). All of the games will have high-definition video coverage and live statistics. SPSN can be found at the following link:

https://portal.stretchinternet.com/polywildcats/

*************************************************************************************************************

SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.