Tulsa Men's Soccer Team Selected to 2003 NCAA Tournament
11/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 17, 2003
Tulsa, Oklahoma - The University of Tulsa men's soccer team was one of 48 teams from around the nation to be selected to the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships. The Golden Hurricane is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance.
Tulsa will host an NCAA Tournament first round game against Oakland University this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium (6th & Delaware). The contest will mark the first time in school history that Tulsa has hosted an NCAA Tournament game. Saturday's contest will mark the first-ever meeting between Tulsa and Oakland. Ticket prices are $8 for adults, $5 for children aged three and above and TU students, and can be purchased in advance by calling the TU Athletic Ticket Office at (918) 631-GoTU (4688). Gates will open at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
"We are very ecstatic to be selected to the NCAA Tournament," ninth-year head coach Tom McIntosh said. "We felt we were deserving with a second place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference. I'm very happy for the players and our university. We're looking forward to competing in the tournament. I am also very pleased that we were selected to host a first round game. I believe we have a first-class facility, and I think it will be a great environment for an NCAA Tournament game."
"Oakland is a very good team. They played a tough non-conference schedule and were successful, and I think that was one of the reasons they were selected by the NCAA committee. Although they lost to UMKC in their conference tournament finals, they defeated Portland and Akron, and tied Washington, all of which are very good teams," McIntosh added.
Tulsa completed the 2003 regular season with a 12-5-2 overall record and second-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 6-1-2 league record. The Golden Hurricane broke into the national rankings at No. 21 on Sept. 8 and has been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks in the various national top-25 soccer polls, including as high as No. 10 in the Soccer Times poll on Oct. 20. The Golden Hurricane recorded a 5-2 record this season against nationally ranked opponents, including wins over New Mexico, Stanford, SMU, Drake and Creighton.
TU currently ranks ninth in the country for its scoring offense, averaging 2.36 goals per game. Tulsa has a scoring average of 7.0 points per game. The Hurricane registered 45 goals and 43 assists in 19 games, which was the most among MVC teams. TU notched a 6-2-1 overall home record this season and is averaging 2.56 goals on its home field.
Individually, the Golden Hurricane attack is led by the nation's top scoring forward combination of sophomore Ryan Pore, the MVC's Most Valuable Player this season, and three-time All-MVC First Team performer, junior Kyle Brown. Together, Pore and Brown combined to score 28 goals and produce 19 assists for 75 points. Pore is currently the nation's leader in total points with 43 on 17 goals and nine assists, and he is also tied for first for goals scored. Brown posted 11 goals and 10 assists for 32 points, which ranks him 12th in the country.
Tulsa made its only other NCAA Tournament appearance in 1991 and lost to SMU in Dallas, Texas, 5-3, in the first round.
Oakland, which is located in Rochester, Mich., recorded an overall mark of 12-4-5 and tied UMKC for first place in the Mid-Continent Conference regular season race. However, the Golden Grizzlies dropped a 1-0 decision to the Kangaroos in the MCC Finals to finish second in the MCC Tournament. OU was 5-2-3 away from home this season.
The Golden Grizzlies were led by junior Philip Braathen's 21 points on eight goals and five assists, while sophomore Chris Edwards was the team's second-leading scorer with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. Senior Jason Perry was the Mid-Con's Defensive Player of the year and joined Braathen on the all-conference first team. Oakland placed a total of five of its players on the All-MCC First Team, while Edwards was named to the second team.
The Golden Grizzlies are led in goal by sophomore Jeff Wiese, who has given up just 14 goals in 20 games this season. As a team, OU has allowed just 16 goals this season and sport a 0.71 goals-against-average.
Tulsa and Oakland have faced three of the same teams this season, including Ohio State, UMKC and Oral Roberts. The Golden Hurricane defeated all three teams, while the Golden Grizzlies tied Ohio State, defeated Oral Roberts twice and was 1-1 against UMKC. OU was 1-1-1 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
Oakland has made 15 total NCAA Tournament appearances since 1976, but just one as a Division I member, which came in 2002.
