Summit League Men's Soccer Championship Website

ELMHURST, Ill. - The 2009 Summit League Men's Soccer Championship will have a distinctively similar feel to last year's tournament as the same four teams will again meet at the same site. Oakland, Western Illinois, IUPUI and UMKC will battle in Rochester, Mich., for an automatic bid to the NCAA College Cup. The two semifinal matches are set for Friday, Nov. 13, while the championship match will be contested two days later on Sunday afternoon.

Top-seeded Oakland (9-4-3 overall, 5-0-1 Summit League) enters the tournament in a familiar position as the regular season league champion for the third consecutive season. The Golden Grizzies open Friday at 11 a.m. (EST) against No. 4 seed UMKC (6-9-2, 2-2-2) in a rematch of last year's title match. This season, OU prevailed, 2-1, in the Oct. 31 meeting between the schools.

Oakland is riding a five-match unbeaten streak and features the league's stingiest defense, pacing The Summit League in lowest goals against average, fewest goals allowed and most shutouts. Leading the way for the Golden Grizzlies is goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt, who recorded a league-best 0.66 goals against average while compiling a league-high seven shutouts during the year. Offensively, OU has a balanced attack led by Stefan St. Louis, who totaled nine points on four goals and one assist, along with a trio of players in John Dreshaj, Shane Lyons and Makesi Lewis, who each have eight points on the season.

Taking on the top-seeded Golden Grizzlies in the semifinal round is defending champion UMKC, who topped Oakland in penalty kicks to claim The Summit League title a year ago. The fourth-seeded Kangaroos boast the league's best offense, having scored 29 goals in 17 matches, an average of 1.71 per game, during the season. Leading the charge is Bryan Perez who paced The Summit League with 23 points and 10 goals on the year and David Sarabia, who followed Perez and ranked second with nine goals but claims the league's highest goals per game average at 0.75. UMKC's offense also features the league's assists leader in John Bayron Sosa, who has seven helpers. In net, Ken Cooper led the league in saves and is the reigning MVP of the tournament after last year's selection.

Friday's second semifinal at 2 p.m. (EST) pits second-seeded Western Illinois (6-9-2, 3-2-1) against No. 3 seed IUPUI (5-10-3, 3-2-1). WIU won the first meeting, 1-0, on Oct. 10 and something will have to give this time around as the Fighting Leathernecks enter the tournament riding a three-match unbeaten streak while the Jaguars enter as the league's hottest team having won four straight matches.

Western Illinois ranks third in the league in goals and fourth in goals against this season. Martin Browne, Jr., leads WIU's offense with six goals for 12 points, placing him third and fourth on the league charts in the respective categories. Nathan Bruinsma is second on the team with eight points on three goals and a pair of assists. The Fighting Leathernecks have strength in goal in Stephen Paterson, who registered four shutouts this season and is the school's career leader.

IUPUI looks to extend its season-long win streak and enters the tournament with both The Summit League's second-highest scoring offense at 1.28 goals per game and second-best defense with a 1.21 goals against average. Perez Agaba leads the Jaguar attack with 11 season points on four goals and three assists while Nate Ohmer is right behind with nine points on four goals and one assist. In net, Tyler Keever ranks second in the league in goals against average (1.26) and save percentage (.808) ant notched a pair of shutouts on the year.

The winners of Friday's semifinals will meet Sunday, Nov. 15, at noon (EST) for The Summit League Championship. An automatic bid to the NCAA College Cup is on the line with the winner going on to continue its season.

Follow The 2009 Summit League Men's Soccer Tournament on the official championship page at www.thesummitleague.org. The page includes ticket information and link to live streaming, live stats, and more.

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