(November 12, 2008) - Castleton, VT - The Castleton State College men’s soccer team is  making its second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament by way of the automatic qualifier earned by winning the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship. Castleton will travel to the University of Rochester for the opening round on Saturday, November 15 for a 5:00 pm start.
Rochester is hosting a four-team group, with a double-header Saturday evening followed by the winners squaring off on Sunday evening. The second game of the twin bill will match Medaille College against Messiah College. That will kick off at 7:30 pm, or 30 minutes after the end of the Rochester-Castleton game if that goes into overtime. Saturday’s winners will play in the second round on Sunday at 6 pm for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.
The NAC Championship win was Castleton’s fourth since joining the conference in 2002. The Spartans have made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, all under the direction of fifth-year Head Coach, John Werner. Werner has twice been named NAC Coach of the Year, including in 2004 when he led the Spartans to a program-record 15 wins.
The Castleton offense led the conference in goals scored with 44 and assists with 27. Senior Captain, Ryan Hahn, leads the Spartan offense with 12 goals and 6 assists. Hahn, the 2007 NAC Player of the Year, earned NAC All-Conference First Team honors for the third-straight season in 2008 and led the league in points, while ranking second in goals scored. Joining Hahn on the First Team were teammates Greg Klopfer and Mike Anthony, while Nick Bellizzi and T.J. Mazza earned Second Team honors. Klopfer led the conference with seven assists, while Anthony ranked first in goals against average at 1.26. Bellizzi anchors a defensive backfield that ranked third in the conference in goals allowed.
This is the fourth consecutive NCAA bid for the Rochester and its ninth consecutive year in post-season play. The Yellowjackets have earned 11 NCAA playoff bids with their first appearance coming in 1986.
Rochester takes a 13-2-2 record into the NCAAs this year. The Yellowjackets are co-champions of the University Athletic Association with Emory University. Both teams were 6-1 in UAA play. Emory won the UAA’s Pool A ticket, defeating Rochester, 1-0, in mid-October. Three UAA men’s teams were selected for the tournament: Emory, Carnegie Mellon, and Rochester.
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