Roanoke Grabs Top Seed in Men’s Soccer Tourney

SALEM Va. --- The 2006 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men’s soccer teams kept everyone waiting until the final contest of the regular season for its tournament’s fate to be decided, but if that is a sign of what is to come, then the postseason should be spectacular.

Roanoke College, after starting the season 1-4-1 through five non-conference matches, finished the season winning seven of its final 10 games to put themselves in a position to earn the top seed in the playoffs given the right outcome on the season’s final night. The Maroons’ (8-7-1 overall, 7-2-0 in the ODAC) saw it all fall into place as Lynchburg College defeated Washington & Lee University 2-0 to catapult Roanoke to the top. The Hornets (11-4-2, 6-1-2) go into the tournament as the second seed while W&L (11-2-2, 6-2-1) will play as the third seed.

As difficult as the top of the bracket may seem, the rest of the field may be just as good. Virginia Wesleyan College (11-3-3, 5-2-2), rated fifth in the South Region in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, and Hampden-Sydney College (10-5-2, 5-3-1) occupy the fourth and fifth seeds while Eastern Mennonite University (7-7-4, 3-3-3), Randolph-Macon College (6-11-0, 3-6-0), and Bridgewater College (7-10-1, 3-6-0) hold the sixth, seventh, and eighth seeds, respectively.

The ODAC boasts several outstanding defensive clubs considering each of the top four seeds surrendered eight or fewer tallies during conference play. Defense was the main factor behind Roanoke’s late season push as the Maroons gave up only five goals in their final eight games, four of which came in one contest. The back line, anchored by E.J. O’Keeffe, and midfield, captained by Brian Walter, registered six shutouts over that span.

Regionally 10th-ranked Lynchburg was even stingier in the backfield, allowing only seven goals through its nine league match ups. The Hornets did their share of scoring as well, led by Maurwyn Bowen's eight goals and two assists and Modou Jobareth's five goals and two helpers.

Washington & Lee is the only nationally ranked team in the ODAC at season’s end, entering the tournament rated 22nd in the country and third in the region. The Generals let in only six goals to conference competition, thanks to a conference-best seven shutouts by goalkeeper Ted Sheedy. The Generals benefited from the scoring of striker Jack Palmer (eight goals, one assist).

The first round of the ODAC tournament is set to begin on Saturday, October 28. The pairings for those games are listed below with the higher seed serving as the home squad. The tournament continues with the semi-finals on Friday, November 3, and the championship on Saturday, November 4. Both the semi-final and championship rounds will be played at the site of the highest remaining seed following the first round contests.

#8 Bridgewater at #1 Roanoke – 1:00 p.m.
#5 Hampden-Sydney at #4 Virginia Wesleyan – 6:00 p.m.
#6 Eastern Mennonite at #3 Washington & Lee – 2:30 p.m.
#7 Randolph-Macon at #2 Lynchburg – TBA