Link to Digital NCAA Game Program
Link to NCAA Tournament Bracket
Link to Stevens Tournament Page

PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville men's soccer team will make the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history this weekend, as the Valiants travel to Hoboken, N.J., to play the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. Under first-year head coach Gregg Miller, the team set a new standard in wins for a season with 15.

This is Manhattanville's second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1999, when they hosted Hunter on November 10, 1999 and fell by a 3-0 score in the first round . That team earned the Skyline Conference's automatic berth to the postseason with a 6-0 regular-season conference record. This year's squad earns the program's first Pool "C" bid to the tournament and the first for any Manhattanville team since the softball team in 2006.

With their 6-1 Freedom Conference record in 2011, the Valiants earned the No. 1 seed in the conference championship but fell in penalty their semifinal matchup against Misericordia last Thursday evening. With their tie against the Cougars the Valiants finished their pre-NCAA Tournament season with a 15-3-1 overall record and a #4 ranking in the latest NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region rankings that were released earlier today.

The Valiants waited until Monday afternoon to hear word from the NCAA offices in Indianapolis to find out if they were in or out of the tournament. The selection committee chose Manhattanville to play in the Hoboken bracket hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology; their opponents: the Brockport Golden Eagles from the SUNYAC Conference.

Manhattanville had a .533 strength of schedule with several quality opponents on their 2011 slate, including five other NCAA Tournament selections. The Valiants defeated eventual Liberty League Champion Vassar 2-1 in overtime, had a 2-1 comeback victory against Merchant Marine, and beat previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Miserircordia 2-0, while falling to both Stevens and DeSales during the regular season.

The Valiant squad is led by junior forward Eros Olazabal (Milton, Ontario/Bishop Reding), who is currently second in the nation in goals scored with 26; included in his goal total are seven game-winning tallies. Joining Eros as an offensive leader is senior midfielder Keston George (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/Victory Christian Academy), who has added 10 goals and tied Eros with five assists in 2011.

Along with George in the midfield are a trio of international players, led by Eros' twin brother Erick Olazabal (Milton, Ontario/Bishop Reding) who paced the team with 12 assists this season. Also in the midfield is the primary corner kick taker, senior Adam Kent (London, England/Sutton Grammar), who added two goals and eight assists, while classmate Daniel Carlryd (Gothenburg, Sweden/LM Engstrom) added eight assists of his own as well as three goals.

On defense the Valiants are led by one of the best in the Freedom Conference, senior captain Emil Sjoberg (Stockholm, Sweden/Tyreso Gymnasium), whose size and nimble ability make him one of the toughest defenders to get around in the league. Joining Sjoberg is junior Marco Blasetti (Yonkers, N.Y./Rye Country Day), a local product who added two goals and a pair of assists this season while helping Sjoberg anchor the back line.

In goal the Valiants have graduate student Jason Torres (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison), who is first in career goals against average with a 1.06 mark, including a 1.01 GAA this season. Torres has accumulated 13 wins against three losses and the lone tie to Misericordia in the Freedom Conference Championship semifinals a week ago.

The Valiants will face off against the SUNYAC runner-up Brockport Golden Eagles. Brockport fell in the SUNYAC Championship game to the Oneonta State Red Dragons on Saturday by the score of 1-0 as a 62nd minute goal was too much for Brockport to overcome.

Brockport has a rich tradition in men's soccer, winning the first ever Division III title in 1974, and taking part in the following two championship games, both losses. Brockport has also been part of each of the last four SUNYAC title games but have only clinched the automatic qualifier once back in 2009 when they defeated Plattsburgh in a 14-round penalty kick shootout.

The Golden Eagles are led by a pair of players who had six goals apiece, Paul Altobelli and Brian Duffy. Bobby Ross and Kevin Dorn each added four goals apiece, while Chris O'Gorman has two of his own.

In goal for the Golden Eagles is Kyle Saun, who played every minute in net this season for Brockport and compiled a 12-4-1 record while allowing 14 goals and stopping 61 shots. Included in his 12 wins are eight shutouts, including a 2-0 shutout over Geneseo in the SUNYAC semifinals to advance to the championship match.

The two teams will square off in game two on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. after the Empire 8 Champion Stevens Ducks host the CUNYAC Champion Lehman Lightning at 5:00 p.m. The winners of both games will play one another on Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m., also at Stevens.

Tickets for the game will be made available at the gate entering the stadium. Costs of the tickets are $6 for general admission, $3 for senior citizens and students (with valid ID), and $2 for for children ages 3-12.

Manhattanville students interested in attending the game can travel to Hoboken via the school's fan bus, which will depart from the front of Spellman Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Cost for the fan bus is $3.

Free live streaming of the game can be accessed by clicking HERE, live stats will also be available by clicking HERE. You can also follow all the live action on Manhattanville's official Twitter handle @mvillevaliants.