Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook
There is still plenty on the line as the Boxers are still playing for a potential NCAA playoff position in their final match of the regular season at George Fox
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THIS WEEK IN PACIFIC MEN'S SOCCER
PACIFIC AT GEORGE FOX
Match No. 19/Away Match No. 10
Sat., Nov. 7, 1:30 p.m., Morse Field, Newberg, Ore.
REGULAR SEASON CONCLUDES WITH PLENTY ON THE LINE
While the Pacific men’s soccer team’s chances for the playoffs took a hit with their loss to Pacific Lutheran over the weekend, the Boxers still have plenty to play for in their final match of the season. The Boxers finish the regular season on Saturday, traveling south to play George Fox. Pacific will then wait until Monday to see if they have earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer playoffs.
BOXER BYTES
* Pacific slipped to third in the Northwest Conference standings and saw strings of seven straight shutouts and 10 matches without a loss end in a 2-1 defeat to Pacific Lutheran on Saturday. The goals were the first allowed by the Boxers since Sept. 27.
* The Boxers picked up their 13th shutout of the season with a 1-0 victory Sunday over Puget Sound. The shutout was the 10th of the year for goalkeeper Andrew Stevermer, setting a Pacific single season record.
* Andrew Stevermer leads the NWC in goals against average (0.43) and save percentage (.896) and was ranked sixth in last week’s NCAA Division III statistics in both cateogories.
* Pacific moved up last week to fifth in the NCAA Division III West Region Rankings and seventh in the NSCAA Division III West Region Rankings.
* Pacific’s 39 goals on the season is the most since the 1999 team scored 40.
* Pacific has set a single season record for shutouts with 13 and shots with 319. The Boxers are also closing in on team records in shots per game (currently 17.7), fewest goals allowed (currently 9) and goals against average (currently 0.49).
* Pacific can finish as NWC co-champions if they beat George Fox on Saturday and both Whitworth and Pacific Lutheran lose. The Boxers will have to wait until Monday if they earn one of 17 at-large berths to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
GEORGE FOX
The Bruins enter the week in eighth place in the NWC at 2-11-0 and are 5-13-0 overall. George Fox dropped both weekend matches on the road, falling 1-0 to Puget Sound on Saturday and 3-1 to Pacific Lutheran on Sunday. The Loggers easily handled the Bruins offensively, outshooting George Fox 16-6. The Lutes managed to outshoot the Bruins 15-9 and scored all three of their goals in the second half. Brian Story broke the string for GFU with his third goal of the season in the 58th minute. Brennan Altringer and Fidel Izquierdo lead the George Fox offense with five goals each. As a team, the Bruins are being outscored 39-28. Goalkeeper Jake Maguire owns a 2.58 goals against average, allowing 26 goals in 905 minutes. Tim Tsohantaridis is in his sixth season as George Fox head coach.
ALL TIME SERIES: Pacific leads 20-17-4 AGAINST BRAZEAU: Pacific leads 9-6-4
LAST MEETING: Pacific won 3-0 in Forest Grove on Oct. 11, 2009
PACIFIC NEWS & NOTES
BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY: There have been many great goalkeepers in Pacific men’s soccer history, but Andrew Stevermer (Jr., Gillette, Wyo.) is on the cusp to becoming the best to have played for the Boxers. Stevermer earned his school record 10th shutout against Puget Sound on Sunday, surpassing the former record of nine set by Norm Rothwell in 1985. Additionally, Stevermer will surpass the season mark for goals against average. His current mark of 0.43 will smash the current record of 0.81 set by Tim Copeland in 1991. Against Pacific Lutheran on Saturday, Stevermer saw his streak of scoreless minutes end at 917 with Jason Bjorgo’s goal in the 54th minute. Stevermer continues to rank as the top goalkeeper in the NWC and one of the best in the nation at the NCAA Division III level. Stevermer leads the conference with his 0.43 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. In last week’s NCAA Division III national statistics, Stevermer ranked sixth in both goals against average and save percentage.
TEAM SHUTOUT RECORD EXTENDS: Pacific extended their single season record for shutouts, netting their 13th against Puget Sound on Sunday. The total well surpasses the previous team record total of nine set by the 1985 team. Of Pacific’s 13 victories, 12 have come by way of shutout. In those 13 victories, Pacific has outscored opponents by a 35-2 margin. The only goals against in a Pacific victory this season came in garbage time in a 4-2 victory over Willamette on Sept. 27.
WELCOME BACK TRAVIS: Forward Travis Birrell (Jr., Seattle, Wash.) made his return to the Pacific lineup this weekend, playing 37 minutes against Pacific Lutheran on Saturday anf 31 minutes against Puget Sound on Sunday. Birrell had missed the last five matches due to injury and marks the return on one of the Boxers’ top offensive players. So far this season, Birrell is tied for third for the Boxers with four goals and shares the team lead with five assists. Birrell also ranks tied for seventh in the NWC with those five assists.
STEEL CURTAIN DEFENSE: The Pacific defense continues to make things very difficult for opposing offenses. Led by central defender Brandon Porter (Sr., Canby, Ore.), the Boxers have allowed just nine goals this season and has held teams scoreless in eight of their last nine matches. The Boxers have allowed just a total of 176 shots and 74 shots on goal. Nationally, the Pacific defense ranks among the best in Division III. In the Oct. 25 statistics report, the Boxers ranked third in shutout percentage (.750), eighth in save percentage (.894) and ninth in goals against average (0.43).
NEAL, BIRRELL EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS: Midfielder Avery Neal (Jr., Los Alamos, N.M.) and forward Travis Birrell have been honored for excellence on the field and in the classroom with selection to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Men’s Soccer Team. Neal has been a key midfielder for the Boxers while maintaining a 3.93 grade point average as a double major in exercise science and physics. Neal has two goals and five assists on the season and is tied for seventh in the NWC in both assists and assists per game. Birrell has scored four goals and has five assists in 13 matches (missing five due to injury) while maintaining 3.83 grade point average as an exercise science major. The two are now eligible to be elected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team, which will be released on Nov. 18.
J.J. STILL AMONG THE BEST: Jasem Jaihouni (Jr., Portland, Ore.) did not add to any of his goal, assist or point totals over the weekend, but still continues to rank among the best in the conference in all three categories. Jaihouni comes into the final week of the regular season ranked in a tie for fourth in goals (7) goals per game (0.39) and shots per game (2.75), third in points (18) and tied for third points per game (1.12). After leading the league for most of the season, Jaihouni slipped to third in the NWC with his 48 shots. His seven goals leads the Boxers, two of which have come on penalty kicks.
UNBEATABLE AT HOME: Pacific wrapped up their 2009 regular season by proving that they are unbeatable at home. Pacific finished the home schedule with an 8-0-1 record and finished with just two goals against on the home turf (both in garbage time against Willamette on Sept. 27). The tie against Whitworth put an end to a streak of 10 straight home victories, dating back to a 1-1 tie with Whitman on Oct. 12, 2008. In addition, the Boxers are now unbeaten in their last 17 matches in Forest Grove. During that stretch, Pacific is 13-0-4. Their last loss in front of the home crowd was a 2-1 defeat to Warner Pacific back on Sept. 4.
GETTING OFFENSIVE: Pacific saw themselves slip from their top spot in most Northwest Conference offensive statistical categories, but still remains one of the top offensive programs in the league. The Boxers remain on top of the conference in shots (318), but slipped to second in points (118), goals (39) and assists (34). In last week’s NCAA Division III national statistical rankings, the Boxers ranked 31st in win/loss percentage at .833 and 65th in scoring at 2.31 goals per game.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: In addition to their work on the offensive end, Pacific continues to be just as strong on the defensive end of the pitch and rank among the top-10 nationally. The Boxers lead the Northwest Conference in goals allowed (9), goals against average (0.49) and shutouts (13). The only category that the Boxers are not first in is saves, with Pacific goalies making just 65 this season. Chalk that up to the work of a very solid defense. The Boxers have not been scored upon since allowing two garbage time goals to Willamette on Sept. 27. The stats have made the Boxers one of the top defensive programs in all of the nation. In the Oct. 25 NCAA Division III statistics report, the Boxers ranked third in shutout percentage (0.75), eighth in save percentage (.894) and ninth in goals against average (0.43).
CLOSING IN ON OTHER TEAM RECORDS: While Pacific has seen two records tied or broken, a number of others are on the horizon. In addition to the shutout record, Pacific set a new team mark with 318 shots. That surpassed the former mark of 310 set by the 1999 team. They also matched the team record for most conseuctive matches without a loss, equalling the 10 amassed by the 1996 team. With one match remaining, the Boxers are within striking distance of a number of other records, including fewest goals allowed (9, current record 14 set in 1991), shots per game (17.7, current record 15.50 set in 1999) and goals against average (0.49, current record 0.97 set in 1996).
NIGHT RIDERS: Whether home or away, Pacific has played well under the lights (or at least the twilight of early September). Since 2005, Pacific is 9-1-2 in matches played in the evening (defined by the NCAA as starting after 6 p.m.). The Boxers’ took just their first night loss in 10 matches last year, dropping a 1-0 decision at Linfield on Oct. 26 on an 80th minute goal. With the team’s 5-0 shutout of Northwest Christian on Sept. 1, Pacific is now 2-0-0 in season openers under the lights and is 3-0-1 overall in night matches at Lincoln Park Stadium.
HAT’S OFF TO J.J.: The hat trick (three goals in a match) is one of the landmark statistics in soccer. Jasem Jaihouni became one of just a handful of Pacific men’s soccer players to hit the milestone over the weekend. Against La Verne on Sept. 6, Jaihouni scored two goals off of penalty kicks and a third unassisted strike off of a direct free kick. The hat trick was the first for the Boxers since Duston Sackett scored three against Warner Pacific on Sept. 15, 1999 (Sackett had two hat tricks that season). The effort topped a week that also saw Jaihouni score the game-winner in the Sept. 1 opener against Northwest Christian to go along with a pair of assists. Jaihouni’s four goals, two assists and 10 points earned the Lincoln HS the Northwest Conference Men’s Soccer Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week honor for the week of Sept. 7.
IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS: Pacific moved up one spot in last week’s in both the NSCAA Division III West Region Rankings and the NCAA Division III West Region Rankings. The Boxers moved up to seventh in the NSCAA poll, which is conducted by region coaches, and fifth in the NCAA poll, which is conducted by the NCAA’s Men’s Soccer Championships Commiitee. The NSCAA poll is released weekly on Tuesdays. The NCAA poll, which will help to determine playoff qualification and seeding, is released on Wednesdays.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: For just the second time since becoming a NCAA Division III member in 1998, Pacific found themselves on the radar of a national poll. Pacific was among 21 teams listed as receiving votes in the Oct. 27 (Week 8) D3Soccer.com Division III National Poll. The Boxers received 15 votes in the poll, voted upon by sports information directors and media members from across the country. The listing effectively ranked Pacific 35th in the nation. Whitworth was the only other Northwest Conference team to be listed, also among those receiving votes with 18 votes. The last time Pacific was ranked in a national poll was in 1998, when the Boxers finished 17th in the NSCAA Division III Poll, the program’s best ever ranking. To view the complete D3Soccer.com poll for the week, visit www.d3soccer.com/top25/.
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: Thanks to their 1-1 tie with Whitworth on Oct. 25 and Saturday’s loss to Pacific Lutheran, Pacific will have to wait to see if they will receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Boxers can finish no better than in a tie for first with Whitworth in the league standings. While that would make Pacific and Whitworth co-champions, the Pirates would earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their 2-1 win over the Boxers on Sept. 19. For Pacific to tie for the league title, both Whitworth and Pacific Lutheran would need to lose their Saturday matches and Pacific would need to beat George Fox. Whatever the outcome, Pacific will have to wait until Monday to see if they earn one of 17 “Pool C” at-large selections to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The announcement will be released on NCAA.com. First and second round contests will take place Nov. 12-15.
Posted by Blake Timm (timmbr@pacificu.edu) on Nov 2, 2009 at 4:30 PM
