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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology travels to Transylvania University for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both teams tied for the HCAC regular season championship, and Transylvania earned the top seed and hosting rights for the title game through the league's tiebreaker process. Rose-Hulman stands 13-4-3 overall and finished 7-1-1 in conference play, while Transylvania has an overall mark of 12-5-1 and was also 7-1-1 in league games.
Rose-Hulman advanced to the title match with a 2-0 win over Franklin College in the semifinal round, while Transylvania earned a 5-0 victory over Anderson University.
The championship match features the league's top offensive in Transylvania against the top-ranked defense in Rose-Hulman. The Pioneers average a league-high 2.67 goals per match, while Rose-Hulman has a conference low 0.53 goals against average.
Sophomore Ben Lyon leads the Rose-Hulman offense with eight goals and 16 points this season. Junior Dieter Schultz (two goals, six assists) and freshman Austin Webb (four goals, two assists) have also reached double figures with 10 points.
Goalkeeper Drew Miller enters Saturday's title match with a career record of 48-16-11 and a school record 34 career shutouts. Miller ranks among the NCAA Division III national leaders in goals against average (0.53) and save percentage (.857) entering Saturday's matchup.
The experienced defensive unit is highlighted by 83 career starts from senior Andrew Bartush. Other multiple-year starters for the Engineers include junior Mike Smyser, sophomore Alex Jansen, sophomore Nick Kowalkowski and sophomore Brad Rostron.
Transylvania players rank first, second and third in the conference in points this season. Blake Chidester has scored 10 goals with four assists, Riley Calhoon has nine goals and five assists, and Ben Rossoll has tallied seven goals and eight assists. Defensively, Tyler Nossokoff ranks No. 2 in the league in goals against average at 0.63.
The Fightin' Engineers seek their fourth trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament in Saturday's matchup. Rose-Hulman reached the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen last season and also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2011.
Rose-Hulman and Transylvania will continue their dominance in earning NCAA Tournament bids from the HCAC with Saturday's match. 2014 will mark the 12th consecutive year that either Rose-Hulman or Transylvania has represented the conference in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
