Purdue Calumet Travels to Olivet Nazarene for CCAC Semifinals Wednesday

PUC-PeregrinsThe fifth-seeded Purdue University Calumet men's soccer team will travel to Bourbonnais, Ill., for a rematch with the top-seeded Olivet Nazarene University Tigers in Wednesday's Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference semifinals.

The Peregrines (10-6-2) will take on the Tigers (13-5) beginning at 6:30 p.m. at ONU's Ward Field.

LAST TIME OUT: Purdue Calumet advanced to the CCAC semifinals in thrilling fashion Saturday, as defeating four-seed Roosevelt 5-3 in the penalty kick round after the two teams played through both overtime periods to a 2-2 draw. Freshman keeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista) recorded five saves and stopped the first Lakers PK, while teammates Papa Otoo (Bradenton, Fla./Braden River), Victor Garcia (Whiting, Ind./Clark), Andres Ayala (San Antonio, Texas/Reagan), JP Garza (San Antonio, Texas/Reagan), and Zac Doepke (Troy, Mich./Troy) each scored in the PK round.

MAKING HISTORY: With a regular season mark of 10-6-1 and a 7-3-1 mark in league play this season, third-year coach James Drzewiecki led the Peregrines to their first postseason appearance since the program was reinstated in 2012 after a nearly 15-year hiatus after the sport was cut in 1998. According to incomplete records, it appears that the last time a Purdue Calumet men's soccer team won a postseason playoff match was in 1982 when head coach Frank Carroll's squad defeated IPFW 3-2 in a sudden-death shootout in the semifinals of the NAIA District 21 playoffs.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Olivet Nazarene captured its first regular-season CCAC championship in school history with a 9-2 mark in league play this season to earn an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament. The Tigers defeated Purdue Calumet 2-0 back on Sept. 30. Tyler Gill scored both goals on corner kick assists from teammate Paddy Hoepp in the first half. Gill leads the Tigers with 18 goals (sixth in the CCAC) and Hoepp adds 16 scores (eight in the CCAC). ONU's two league losses came to Trinity International (1-0) and Holy Cross (4-3).

FAN BUS: A student fan bus will travel to Bourbonnais in support of the Peregrines Wednesday. Interested students should email Assistant Athletic Director Nicole Watkins at nicole.watkins@purduecal.edu to reserve a spot. The first 45 to sign up will receive a free t-shirt. The bus will load at 4:45pm Wednesday in the Fitness and Recreation Center parking lot and will leave at 5 p.m. sharp.

LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of Wednesday night's game will host the CCAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 15, as both the Peregrines and Tigers are the highest seeds remaining in the bracket. Seventh-seeded Cardinal Stritch takes on sixth-seeded Holy Cross in the other semifinal, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.