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No. 11-ranked SPSU ends 2012 season with 3-1 loss to top-rated Lindsey Wilson at NAIA
national tournament in Montgomery
No. 11-ranked SPSU ends 2012 season with 3-1 loss to top-rated Lindsey Wilson at NAIA
national tournament in Montgomery
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In the quarterfinal round of the 2012 NAIA Men’s Soccer National
Championship on
Wednesday, the Southern Polytechnic State University men’s soccer team had its season end with
a 3-1 loss to the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders at the Emory Folmar Soccer Complex.
Lindsey Wilson, the defending national champion, is the tournament’s top seed and
ranked No. 1 nationally in the NAIA while Southern Polytechnic was seeded eighth and
is rated 11th.
Southern Poly, the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up, received
an at-large bid to the NAIA national event while the Blue Raiders earned an automatic
berth by winning the Mid-South Conference Tournament championship. The Hornets made
their fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship
Sweet 16 while LWC is participating in its 20th tournament.
“I'm very proud of the season we had but humiliated by our performance
today,” SPSU head coach Kom Momeni said. “It was the worst game we have played in four
years. Lindsey Wilson is a fantastic program but we were just awful. We were never
in it for one second. It's a shame, but hopefully we can learn from this experience
in the years to come.”
The Blue Raiders opened the scoring just before halftime in the 44th minute (43:58)
and added to their lead shortly after the intermission in the 47th minute (46:21).
Southern Poly got a goal from senior forward Emeka Maduka in 69th minute (68:23),
making it a 2-1 contest, before LWC tacked on another score in the 73rd minute (72:43).
The three goals by Lindsey Wilson are the most the Hornets have allowed in a single
game this year.
The Blue Raiders outshot SPSU 23-7, including 15-3 in the second half and 15-3 on
goal. In corner kicks, LWC had a 5-1 advantage.
In goal for Southern Poly, senior Dennis Kramer played the full 90 minutes. He recorded
a season-high 12 saves.
The Hornets finish
15-6-1 overall, having their season conclude in the NAIA Elite Eight for the second year
in a row, while Lindsey Wilson is 22-1-0 and moves on to play SSAC member Belhaven
University on
Friday in the semifinal round of the 2012 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship.
