Nov 2, 2009

Falcons Ready to Begin their First PBC Conference Tournaments

>>>Official PBC Soccer Tournament Website

MONTEVALLO, Ala. - Both the University of Montevallo men's and women's soccer teams have qualified for their first Peach Belt Conference Tournament in the two programs histories. 2009 marked the first season for the Falcons in the tough Peach Belt Conference and both teams have excelled in their new conference making it to the conference tournament. The men will host Francis Marion University tomorrow, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. on Varsity Field while the women travel to Columbus State University for a 5 p.m. central time kick-off.

Tickets for both games are $5 for adults and $3 for students with ID. The first 100 UM students for the men's game will be admitted free thanks to the Falcon Booster Club.

The men finished the regular season with a 9-6-1 record and a 5-3 slate in conference play. They enter the tournament as the fourth seed just behind Flagler College, Lander University and Clayton State University. The Falcons will host the fifth seed Francis Marion University who have a record of 11-4-3 and a conference slate of 4-2-2.

The Falcons and Patriots met during the regular season at FMU on Oct. 3. The Falcons won 2-0 off goals by sophomore Phil Jackson (Lincolnshire, England/Queen Elizabeth's) and junior Alex Ghoja (Elkmont, Ala./Bob Jones). Junior goalkeeper Robert Mueller (Kileen, Texas/Kileen) made two saves in the shutout victory. The Falcons are led this season in goals by junior Nathaniel Foster (Brampton, Ontario/Humberview Secondary School) who has 10 on the season. Jackson and junior Milan Pualic (Subotica, Serbia/Srednja Ekonosmka Skola School) are tied for the lead in assists with seven each while Foster holds the lead in points with 25. Mueller has started every game this season in net for the Falcons and has made 53 saves and has five shutouts. His record this season is 9-6-1.

The Patriots are the defending PBC Regular Season Champions and Tournament Champions. They have suffered only two losses in conference play including the 2-0 defeat by UM. Their other conference loss came this past weekend at Flagler College as the Patriots fell 3-1. FMU is 5-3-3 on the road this season. The Patriots are led by Kyle Clinton who has seven goals and four assists which lead the team in both categories. Chris Foltanski is their next highest scorer with six goals and three assists.

The winner of the match will then head to Evans, Ga. to compete in the final two rounds of the PBC Tournament. The semifinal and final rounds will be held at Blanchard Woods Park on Friday and Sunday, Nov. 6-8.

The University of Montevallo women's soccer team ended its regular season with a record of 6-8-3 and a conference slate of 3-5-2. The Falcons earned to eighth and final seed in the PBC Tournament and will play the first seed Columbus State University on the road. The Falcons and Lady Cougars most recently met on Oct. 28 at CSU. Columbus won 6-3 but the Falcons were the only team all season to score more than one goal against CSU.

The Falcons are led this season by freshman Paige Scott (Denman Island, British Columbia/Reynolds) who has scored six goals and made one assist to lead the team with 13 points. Sophomore Natalie Martineau (Oakville, Ontario/Ecole Secondaire) is second on the team in points with 11 and leads the team in assists with seven. Both Scott and senior Angela Buonassisi (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox) lead the team in game-winning goals with two each. Freshman Alyssa Maxwell (Surrey, British Columbia/Semiahmoo) has started every game but one in goal for the Falcons and has made 80 saves and has three shutouts.

The Lady Cougars are 15-1-3 on the season with a record of 8-1-1 in the conference. They are ranked seventh in the country in the most recent NSCAA Coaches Poll. They are led by Gina Goforth and Stephanie Parrish who have 12 and 10 goals, respectively. Parrish and Melinda Bush lead the team in assists with five each. Kelly Nimmo has started every game for the Cougars in net and has 44 saves with two shutouts. She has a record of 14-1-2 on the season. CSU is the five-time defending Champions of the PBC.