MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo men's soccer team will face AUM in the Gulf South Conference Tournament Quarterfinal, Sunday, Oct. 30 at Varsity Field at 6 p.m.
With a 2-1 win in a make-up contest on the road against Delta State earlier this week, UM secured the No. 4 seed and first-round hosting privileges. A No. 4 seed was in jeopardy going into the mid-week matchup as the Falcons dropped a match to AUM, Sunday Oct. 23, 2-1. The Falcons will bring the No. 5 seeded Warhawks back to Varsity Field, Sunday, in a win-or-go-home match. The winner will face the winner of the No. 1 and No. 8 seed matchup between West Florida and Spring Hill.
Montevallo finished the regular season 8-4-3 overall and 7-4 in the league. The Falcons opened league play 5-0 before suffering their first loss of the year, 2-1, at West Florida. After falling to the 2022 GSC Regular Season Champions, UM stumbled twice more. An important 2-0 win over Lee put the Falcons back on the right track to ultimately lock-up the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
The Falcons enter the postseason as one of the top-scoring offenses in league and have only been shutout twice this season. UM is third in the GSC with 30 goals scored. They also rank in the top-five defensively, having only allowed 16 goals against.
Junior Edorta Sabieces Sanz leads the Falcons with seven goals on the year and is sixth across the GSC in that regard. Graduate senior
Edin Hernandez has a team-high six assists and is tied for second in the league.
Senior
Salvador Plaza turned in an outstanding regular season in goal. The Santiago, Chile native was named the GSC Defender of the Week three times this season and finished second in the league with 54 total saves. He was also fourth in the GSC with a .771 save percentage.
Head Coach
Bruce Dietterle is in his 10
th season at the helm of the men's soccer program and is looking to lead the Falcons to a GSC Tournament Championship and automatic NCAA tournament berth for the first time since the 2012-13 season when the Falcons were in the Peach Belt.
Last season UM earned the 2021 Regular Season Championship but dropped a first-round matchup in the tournament.
"First we just want to take a second and appreciate a top-four finish. I believe the Gulf South is one of the most competitive leagues in the country from top to bottom. Any team can win on any given day. Just look at the scores and see how hard it is. For us to get a home game in this tournament is vital. It's really important to be on our side. It's a good year for that and I'm happy," said Dietterle. "I'm not content about it but looking at who we are playing, AUM obviously beat us last week so this is a good rematch. The guys should be focused and energized to go against a really good side that creates a really unique challenge that you don't really see anywhere else outside of college soccer. Looking at the game I think it's going to be another tough battle of who can win the set pieces game, who can win in transition, who can stay focused and keep their emotions in check but I'm really looking forward to it and it should be a really good game."
THE BRACKET
| TIME |
EVENT |
TEAMS |
|
| Quarterfinals | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2022 | CAMPUS SITES |
| TBA |
Match 1 |
No. 8 Spring Hill at No. 1 West Florida |
|
|
|
| TBA |
Match 2 |
No. 7 Christian Brothers at No. 2 Lee |
|
|
|
| TBA |
Match 3 |
No. 6 Mississippi College at No. 3 West Alabama |
|
|
|
| TBA |
Match 4 |
No. 5 Auburn University at Montgomery at No. 4 Montevallo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Semifinals | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022 | JOHN HUNT PARK |
| 3:30 pm CT |
Match 5 |
Match 1 Winner vs Match 4 Winner |
|
|
|
| 6 pm CT |
Match 6 |
Match 2 Winner vs Match 3 Winner |
|
|
|
| Championship | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2022 | JOHN HUNT PARK |
| 12 pm CT |
Match 7 |
Match 5 vs Match 6 Winner |
|
|
|
SERIES HISTORY
In a short history the rivalry between the Falcons and Warhawks has grown, with UM taking a narrow edge in the series, 6-4. AUM is 3-1 against the Falcons since 2019. UM's only win was an overtime winner last season in Montgomery, Ala. The previous matchup between the two squads this season featured stingy defense as the three total goals scored in the game were from an own-goal and two penalty kicks.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
First Round: No. 4 Montevallo vs. No. 5 AUM
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Varsity Field. Montevallo, Ala.
Live Stats: https://montevallofalcons.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
Live Stream: Flosports.com/gsc
$19.99 https://go.flosports.tv/partner/gulf-south
Tickets: $10 general admission | $3 students | UM Students free | Children 5 and under free https://montevallotickets.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1456&r=033eb53a1f8248b4a189511691d7d691
GSC Tournament Home Page: https://gscsports.org/tournaments/?id=188
