NSAA Men’s Soccer Tournament Championship Preview

JAMESTOWN, N.D. -- The Bellevue University men's soccer team is in Jamestown, N.D. for their first-ever North Star Athletic Association Tournament. The Bruins, the top seed in the tournament, will take on 3^rd-seeded Jamestown in Sunday afternoon's championship match at 2 p.m.

Bellevue (10-3-4/3-0-1 NSAA) clinched their second straight conference regular season championship last weekend with a 1-0 win at Waldorf. The Bruins are receiving votes in the latest NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll and are unbeaten against ranked opposition this season. Bellevue got first half goals from JT Cronin, Daniel Coupland, and Rob Smith en route to an easy 3-0 win over Viterbo in Friday afternoon's semifinal.

Jamestown (12-5-1/2-1-1 NSAA) have won four straight matches and have allowed just one goal in that time. The Jimmies defeated Waldorf, 2-1 in overtime after falling behind in the first half to reach the championship game.

The Series:

Bellevue and Jamestown have met five times throughout their program histories. The series is tied at two wins and a draw apiece. The last two matches (2012 and 2015) have seen just one goal scored in total.

Last Meeting:

Both sides were up to task defensively but neither could put in a crucial goal to secure a victory. Bellevue out-shot the host Jimmies 11-10 but both keepers were sharp in preserving a 0-0 draw for their respective sides.

For the full recap: http://bubruins.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/releases/20151009tff8v7

Bellevue Game Notes:

• Bellevue is unbeaten (1-0-3) against opponents that are either nationally ranked or receiving votes
• Bellevue has won two straight conference tournament championships (2013 and 2014 MCAC)
• Bellevue has allowed just one goal in five conference matches - including post-season - on the season (that goal came in a 3-1 victory against Viterbo on Oct. 3)
• Tobias Maertzke ranks 27^th nationally in Game-Winning Goals (4)
• Ben Martin ranks 33^rd nationally in Goals Against Average (1.02)
• Tobias Maertzke ranks sixth in the North Star in both goals (8) and points (20)
• Rob Smith leads the North Star lead with seven assists
• Ben Martin leads the North Star in both Goals Against Average (1.07) and Save Percentage (.763)

Jamestown Game Notes:

• Jamestown is on a four-match win streak where they have out-scored their opposition 13-1
• Jack Humphries ranks 10^th nationally in Game-Winning Goals (5)
• Jack Humphries ranks 44^th nationally in Goals (12)
• Jamestown is one of two teams in the North Star to have two 20-point scorers in Jack Humpries (26) and Anuar Kanan (21)
• Jack Humphries leads the North Star in both Goals (12) and Points (26)
• Ellis Riley is tied with David Barragan (Presentation) for second in the North Star with six assists

Players to Watch:

Bellevue –

• Sr. MF Tobias Maertzke (8 G, 4 A, 20 P)
• Sr. D Alan Carr (2 G, 1 A, 5 P)
• Sr. D Jamie Henderson (3 G, 3 A, 9 P)
• Jr. GK Ben Martin (10-3-4, 1.02 GAA, .775 Save Pct., 6 Shutouts)
• So. MF Rob Smith (5 G, 7 A, 17 P)
• So. MF Daniel Coupland (4 G, 1 A, 9 P)

Jamestown –

• Sr. F Jack Humphries (12 G, 2 A, 26 P)
• Sr. MF Ellis Riley (3 G, 6 A, 12 P)
• Jr. MF Jacob Scotte-Hatherly (4 G, 2 A, 10 P)
• So. GK Matt Gutierrez (8-5-1, 37 Saves, 4 Shutouts)
• Fr. F Anuar Kanan (10 G, 1 A, 21 P)

What's next?:

The winner of this match secures the North Star Athletic Association's automatic bid to the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer National Tournament.