National champions will be crowned on Saturday as the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Soccer Championships conclude with a doubleheader at Swope Soccer Village. The men's final will take place first at 1:30 p.m. CT between Wheaton College (22-3-0) and Tufts University (15-2-4), followed by the women's final at 5:30 p.m. CT featuring Lynchburg College (26-0-1) and Williams College (21-1-1).
Both matches will be played on the Championship Field and tickets are available at the gate ($7 for youth/students, $10 for adults). Swope Soccer Village is located at 6310 Lewis Road in Kansas City, Missouri.
Friday's semifinals produced no shortage of drama, beginning with Wheaton College's 3-2 victory in double overtime over previously unbeaten SUNY Oneonta. The No. 8 ranked Thunder trailed 2-1 at halftime but advanced with a golden goal in the 104th minute from Stephen Golz, a junior forward who has scored 21 times this season. Wheaton College are two-time national champions (1984, 1997) and will take a 10-game winning streak into their fifth National Championship appearance in program history.
Their opponent will be Tufts University, who recorded their fourth straight shutout with a 3-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University. Two weeks after knocking off No. 1 ranked Messiah in the quarterfinals thanks to a goal in the first minute, the Jumbos again struck early on Friday when freshman defender Matt Zinner found the back of the net in the second minute. Senior forward Gus Santos added two goals in the second half and leads the team with nine goals on the year, while goalkeeper Scott Greenwood has 11 shutouts and a 0.51 goals against average in 2014.
The women's final four opened in stunning fashion as Illinois Wesleyan's Skyler Tomko scored her team-leading 14th goal of the season just 10 seconds into the first semifinal against No. 1 ranked Lynchburg College. The undefeated Hornets equalized in the 15th minute on Angela Bosco's 30th goal of the year before completing the comeback with the game-winning goal in the 48th minute.
Their first national championship appearance will come against No. 5 ranked Williams College. The Ephs were 1-0 winners over Johns Hopkins University on Friday courtesy of Audrey Thomas' goal in the 10th minute, marking her fourth straight NCAA tournament match with a goal and the third straight match in which she recorded the game-winning goal. Senior goalkeeper Hannan Van Wetter made two saves in the shutout.
The 2014 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Soccer Championships at Swope Soccer Village are co-hosted by the Kansas City Sports Commission and Fontbonne University. This year's Final Four is the first of four consecutive years in which NCAA men's and women's soccer championships will be competed at the state-of-the-art complex (Division III in 2014 and 2015; Division II in 2016 and 2017).
NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Semifinals
December 5, 2014 | Swope Soccer Village | Kansas City, MO
WHEATON COLLEGE 3, SUNY ONEONTA 2 (2OT)
SCORING SUMMARY
Wheaton College: Noah Anthony 16'
SUNY Oneonta: Jake Sutherland 30'
SUNY Oneonta: Anthony Passiatore 32'
Wheaton College: Adam Blackman 52'
Wheaton College: Stephen Golz 104'
Box Score | Play-By-Play | Full Replay | Recap
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 3, OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 0
SCORING SUMMARY
Tufts University: Matt Zinner 2'
Tufts University: Gus Santos 54'
Tufts University: Gus Santos 60'
Box Score | Play-By-Play | Full Replay | Recap
NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Semifinals
December 5, 2014 | Swope Soccer Village | Kansas City, MO
LYNCHBURG COLLEGE 2, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY 1
SCORING SUMMARY
Illinois Wesleyan University: Skyler Tomko 1'
Lynchburg College: Angela Bosco 15'
Lynchburg College: Kelley Smith 48'
Box Score | Play-By-Play | Full Replay | Recap
WILLIAMS COLLEGE 1, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY 0
SCORING SUMMARY
Williams College: Audrey Thomas 10'
