2021 Continental Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Begins Friday
Four teams are headed to Georgia Gwinnett College for the fifth consecutive season to compete for a conference championship. This time it's for the 2021 Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) men's soccer championship tournament, taking place this weekend at the Grizzly Soccer Complex in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Semifinal matches are scheduled for Friday, November 12, with top seed Bellevue University (Nebraska) playing No. 4 seed Viterbo University (Wisconsin) at 5 p.m., followed by No. 2 seed GGC facing No. 3 seed Florida National University at 8 p.m.
Friday's winning teams will advance to the championship match on Saturday, November 13, at 7 p.m. Those two teams will earn automatic bids to represent the CAC in the NAIA national tournament. All match times are eastern time.
Two teams in the CAC tournament field are ranked in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll.
Bellevue, at No. 9, enters the postseason with a 13-2-2 record and winner of five straight matches, including a 3-0 victory against Waldorf University (Iowa) last Saturday. Oumar Sissoko leads the Bruins' balanced offensive attack with 14 goals, while Antonio Capra and Toby Millward have each scored eight goals this fall. Anthony Cox leads Bellevue with eight assists. Goalkeeper AJ Jarvis has recorded six shutouts and posted a 0.77 goals against average on the season.
Georgia Gwinnett College, ranked No. 16 nationally, is coming off a 6-3 victory against Florida College on October 30 to improve its record to 9-4-1. The Grizzlies have a 6-1-1 home record this fall. Karim Tmimi is tops on the team with 10 goals and 25 points. Krishna Clarke has scored five goals and added five assists. Jack Brown ranks third on the team with 11 points behind four goals. GGC has outscored its opposition by a 40-19 margin.
Florida National is making its postseason debut as a new CAC member. The Conquistadors stand 8-3-2 on the season and are coming off a 4-2 victory against NCAA Division II No. 9-ranked University of Tampa (Florida) last Thursday. FNU also earned a 1-0 victory against then NAIA No. 2 Keiser University (Florida) in early October. Manuel Rodriguez leads the team with four goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Rodrigo Festuccia has posted a 1.24 goals against average and made 33 saves in nine matches this season.
Viterbo is making its second straight appearance at the conference tournament, falling to Bellevue in overtime in the semifinal round of the spring 2021 event. The V-Hawks stand 16-0-1 on the season and have won 16 straight matches after a season-opening 1-1 draw to St. Ambrose University (Iowa). Six different players have scored five or more goals for the team this fall, led by Aiden Radford with 18 goals and 42 points. Alessandro Lopergolo has a team-high 10 assists. Ernesto Ascenzo has a 0.55 goals against average and a .829 save percentage in 14 matches in front of Viterbo's net this fall.
2021 Continental Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship Schedule
Semifinal Matches
Friday, November 12
Match 1 – No. 1 Bellevue University vs. No. 4 Viterbo University, 5 p.m.
Match 2 – No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College vs. No. 3 Florida National University, 8 p.m.
Championship Match
Saturday, November 13
Match 3 – Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2, 7 p.m.