MEDAILLE EARNS TOP SEED AS MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF ON SATURDAY

The AMCC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament kicks off this weekend as Medaille College has clinched the #1 seed and hosting rights for the tournament championship. First round games will kick off this Saturday with #6 Pitt-Bradford traveling to #3 Mount Aloysius College and #4 Franciscan University hosting #5 La Roche University. Medaille and #2 Penn State Behrend will each receive first round byes.

Medaille (12-4-2, 9-0-1 AMCC) has won seven AMCC men's soccer titles, with their most recent one coming in 2017. The Mavs are led by senior M Mitchell Ali, who leads the conference with 19 goals anf 42 points. Goalkeeper Jonny Pitts has recorded 42 saves on the season and has a .737 save percentage. 

Defending champion and second-seeded Penn State Behrend (17-1, 9-1 AMCC) has won nine overall titles and will be looking to claim back-to-back championships this year. The Lions are currently ranked 20th in the nation, and were as high as 10th earlier this season. Junior F Richard Blanchard leads the Lion offense with 10 goals and is also tops in the conference with 12 asssists, as his 32 points are third-best in the conference. Senior GK Matt Warnaka has given up just 12 goals on the season, while recording a .707 save percentage. 

Mount Aloysius (14-5, 8-2 AMCC) enters the tournament as the #3 seed. Mountie F Joshua Devlin ranks second in the conferene with 17 goals and 36 points, while Pau Aran's seven assists are third-best. Between the pipes, GK James Eyre has given up a conference-low seven goals this season and his .800 save percentage ranks him second. 

#4 Franciscan (12-3-2, 7-2-1 AMCC) has been led offensively by MF Nick Miller, who leads the team and ranks third in the conference with 12 goals. Miller is also tied for fourth with six assists and sits in fourth with 30 points. GK Brian Gaughan sits at the top of the conference with an .888 save percentage and 0.73 goals-against average. 

Entering the tournament as the #5 seed is La Roche University (7-11, 5-5 AMCC). The Redhawks enter with a balanced attack, as MF Firas Abduljawad and F Kyle Harriett have each recorded seven goals this season, while Abduljawad has also added four assists. Defensively, GK Austin Gorman ranks fourth in the conferene with 100 saves and a .758 save percentage.

Rounding out the tournament field is #6 Pitt-Bradford (9-8, 5-5 AMCC). The Panthers' have earned their first playoff appearance since 2011, while their nine wins are the most games the team has won in a season since joining the NCAA in 1995. Sophomore F Chase Rider leads the Panther offense with 10 goals, while MF Thomas Kelly ranks second in the conference with eight assists. On the defensive end, GK Sihle Sizani has recorded 89 saves and a .774 save percentage, ranking him in the top five in both categories.

First round games will be played on Saturday, November 2, with the top two seeds receiving byes. The semifinals will take place on Wednesday, November 6, with the championship game on Saturday, November 9.  The AMCC champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, with the national championship to be played at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro on December 6-7.

Please see the AMCC Fall Championship Page for more details.