Geoducks and Cavs to meet for CCC Men's Soccer Crown
PORTLAND, Ore. – For the Concordia University Cavaliers, it is business as usual. For The Evergreen State College Geoducks, it is another step in a magical season. For one of these teams, it is going to be an automatic bid to the 2012 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship as the Cavaliers and Geoducks meet on Saturday evening for the 2012 Cascade Collegiate Conference Men’s Soccer Championship.
Concordia, the regular season champion, is appearing in the championship game for the fifth straight year as they look for their seventh trip to the NAIA tournament. The Cavs advanced to Saturday’s final after earning a 4-0 win over Northwest on Tuesday, using a pair of goals each from Radcliffe McDougald and Septi Danciu to get past the Eagles.
Evergreen earned their place at the table on Tuesday as well, earning a 4-1 win over Warner Pacific. The Geoducks were led by two goals from Willie Spurr, as well as one each from Kevin Flavin and Kyle Wiese. For the Geoducks, this is their first ever trip to the Cascade Conference final and they will be looking for their first trip to the NAIA tournament since 2004, when they advanced to the national quarterfinals.
“This is a special group of young men,” said Evergreen head coach John Purtteman. The team has been fantastic in how they represent themselves, the game and the college. The guys are excited about the opportunity to test themselves against a very good Concordia team.
The Cavaliers hold the advantage in the season series, earning a 2-0 win in Portland on Sep. 25 and a 4-1 win in Olympia on Oct. 13. However, the Geoducks are 7-1 away from Olympia this season, with the one loss coming in the match against CU in September.
"After 14 CCC games, it seems fitting that the top two teams meet each other in the final,” said Concordia head coach Dan Birkey. “Both these teams have worked so very hard to earn this opportunity. There is much respect for each other between these two programs and their long histories in Northwest soccer. It's going to be a great college soccer event."
Regardless the outcomes, both teams have certainly earned the opportunity to play for a trophy on Saturday evening and it is safe to say that the advancing team will be well prepared to represent the Cascade Conference in the national tournament.