Purdue Calumet to Take on Davenport in NAIA National Tournament Opening Round

PUC-Mens-Soccer-to-Take-on-Davenport-in-NAIA-National-Tournament-Opening-RoundThe Purdue University Calumet men’s soccer team will travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., to take on NAIA defending champions Davenport University in Saturday’s opening round of the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Tournament.

The Peregrines (12-4-2), Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season runner-ups, will take on the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference champion and NAIA overall No. 2-seed Panthers (15-2-2) at 1 p.m. CT at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex Meyering Field located at 6201 68th Street, Caledonia, Mich.

HISTORICAL IMPLICATIONS
Saturday’s game will mark the first appearance at the NAIA National Tournament in Purdue Calumet men’s soccer history. Purdue Calumet did reach the NAIA District 2 Semifinals during a 15-2 season in 1982 under hall of fame coach Frank Carroll, which still stands as the best overall record in program history. The men’s soccer program was discontinued in the late 1990s before returning in 2012.

NAIA BRACKET
If the Peregrines can pull off the upset, they would advance to the NAIA National Tournament Championship site of Delray Beach, Fla., to take on the winner of Campbellsville (Ky.) and West Virginia Tech. That game would be played Tuesday, Dec. 1. Other teams in Purdue Calumet’s region of the bracket include MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Roosevelt, Vanguard (Calif.), and Great Falls (Mont.). The NAIA quarterfinals are set for Dec. 2, the semifinals are slated for Dec. 4 and the national championship game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5.

The full bracket is located here: http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/2015MSoc/2015MSBracket.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=27900

LIVE LOOK
Live video and stats will be available at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/davenport/ Video is available on a pay-per-view basis at $7.95 per view.

SCOUTING DAVENPORT
The Panthers earned the NAIA overall No. 2 seed after finishing 2015 with 15 wins and a regular-season WHAC championship after finishing 10-0-1 in conference play. Davenport was upset in the first round of the WHAC Tournament by Madonna in a 1-0 loss. Note: The Peregrines played Madonna to a 2-2 draw at Dowling Park’s Pepsi Field Sept. 4. DU’s only other loss came in its season opener in a 3-0 loss to then-ranked Thomas University (Ga.) back on Aug. 21.

DU scored 49 goals and allowed just 21 in 19 matches, led by T.J. Ifaturioti, who currently has 19 goals (ninth in the NAIA). Jake Love adds 11 assists (17th in the NAIA) and has nine goals, while keeper Aaron Orban is 10-2-2 in goal with 53 saves and a 1.12 goals-against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two teams since Purdue Calumet’s men’s soccer program was reintroduced in 2012.

2015 SEASON REVIEW
The Peregrines finished second in the overall CCAC standings with an 8-3-1 mark in league play. That included a 2-0 road win at then-ranked No. 25 Olivet Nazarene and victories over Robert Morris, Trinity International, St. Francis (Ill.), Judson, Cardinal Stritch, Trinity Christian, and Calumet St. Joseph. Purdue Calumet was upset in the first round of the CCAC Conference Tournament in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to St. Ambrose. The Peregrines earned the league’s second berth to the national tournament after regular-season champion Roosevelt captured the CCAC Tournament Championship in a 2-1 win over St. Xavier Nov. 14.

PEREGRINE LEADERS
Senior Andres Ayala (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) leads Purdue Calumet with 11 goals this season, which ties a program single-season record with classmate Papa Otoo (Brandenton, Fla./Braden River), who set the mark in 2013. Junior Cristian Garcia (Hammond, Ind./Clark) adds six goals and one assist and teammates Nicolau Monteiro (Rio de Janero, Brazil/IBMEC) and Otoo have four goals each.

In total, 12 different players have scored for the Peregrines, who average 2.47 goals per contest. Senior Juan Pablo Garza (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) leads the team in assists with five.

In the net, sophomore keeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista) and a strong defensive back line of Sergio Reyes (Tabio, Colombia/Gimnasio Minuto de Dios), Pedro Mendieta (Lynwood, Ill./Mt. Carmel), Jaime Prado (Chicago, Ill./Washington) and Carlos Ramirez (El Paso, Texas/Coronado) have allowed just 19 goals all season for a 1.12 goal per game average.

David (8-3-2) has started 13 games in goal, earning a 0.96 goals-against average to go along with 40 saves and three shutouts.

OVERTIME REGULARS
The Peregrines have played in five overtime games this season, coming out with a 3-2 record when matches exceed 90 minutes. The most thrilling extra-time contest came in a 3-2 win over Robert Morris Sept. 22, when Andres Ayala scored all three goals in the final 10 minutes of play to lift Purdue Calumet to the come-from-behind win and give Ayala his second hat trick of the season and third of his career.

CCAC RECOGNITION
Purdue Calumet saw five players earn all-CCAC honors, as Miguel David and Andres Ayala were both selected to the all-CCAC first team and Carlos Ramirez, Papa Otoo, Cristian Garcia were named to the second team.

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