Reading, Pa. (Oct. 29, 2018) - Alvernia University enters this week's MAC Commonwealth Men's Soccer Tournament as the fifth seed, and will travel to fourth seeded Stevenson University for the first round of the MAC Commonwealth Championship.

The match will get underway at 7:00 PM at Stevenson University. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students with I.D.

This is Alvernia's sixth appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Championship since joining the conference in 2009. The Mustangs are making their first appearance in since joining the MAC Commonwealth in 2012.

Tuesday's Match-Up
Stevenson (10-7-1) went 4-3-1 in MAC Commonwealth play, including a 2-0 win over Widener University in the season finale to clinch the four seed. The Mustangs are 8-3 at home this season, compared to 2-4-1 on the road. They are led by sophomore Jay Smith, who leads the Mustangs with seven goals. Tariq Lee also leads the Mustangs in assists, with four, while posting four goals on the season. In goal for the Mustangs is Matt Stellitano. Stellitanto has started 16 of Stevenson's 18 games. He has a save percentage of .830, and is average 1.00 goals against. He is 9-6-1 on the season, including five shutouts.

Alvernia (8-10-2) went 4-4 in MAC Commonwealth play, winning its final two games of the season to secure the fifth seed. The Golden Wolves post a 4-4-2 road record, and 4-6 at home this season. The Golden Wolves offense is led by sophomore Ryan Kuster, who has five goals and two assists on the season. Senior Austin Young also leads the Golden Wolves with eight assists and two goals on the season. Luca Grippi and Nate Nimo have split time in goal on the season, with Nimo making the start in net for the Golden Wolves in the final two games of the regular season. Over three total appearances, Nimo has a 1.20 goals against average, and a .786 save percentage. He is 2-0 in his first two career starts.

The Mustangs took the 2-1 win over the Golden Wolves on October 20th of this season. Senior Adam Orndorff netted the Golden Wolves only goal in the matchup. Prior to that loss, Alvernia had been 6-0 against Stevenson since 2012.

The Rest of the Field
The top-seeded Falcons of Messiah College (15-0-2)  will host the winner of the Alvernia and Stevenson matchup on Thursday. The Falcons are the defending national champions, and are currently ranked first in the country. They are 8-0-1 in MAC Commonwealth action. Messiah is led by Nick West, who boasts an NCAA DIII leading 24 goals on the season. Connor Bell has started 17 games for the Falcons. He has a 0.55 goals against average, and a .836 save percentage. He is 15-0-1 on the season with seven shutouts. The Golden Wolves fell to the Falcons earlier this season 3-0 decision. The Mustangs took the Falcons to overtime, but ultimately fell 2-1.

The second seeded Lycoming College Warriors (14-3-1) are the defending MAC Commonwealth Champions and are 6-2 in conference. They will host #3 Lebanon Valley College. The Warriors are led by Colin Wieand, who has posted six goals and an assist on the season. Jake Webb also leads the Warriors with 11 assists and a goal. Chris Solecki has started 17 games in net for the Warriors, and has a 0.78 goals against average, and a .817 save percentage. He is 13-3-1 on the season, with seven shutouts. The Golden Wolves fell to the Warriors earlier this season by a 3-2 decision. Lycoming's game winner came in the 78th minute off a penalty kick. The Warriors also topped the Dutchmen by a 1-0 decision with a goal in the final two minutes in the penultimate game of the regular season.

Third seeded Lebanon Valley College (10-5-1) is 6-2 in conference. The Dutchmen are led by Rob Hanosek, who has nine goals and three assists on the season. Sean Quirk and Ryan Harding have split time in net for the Dutchmen. Quirk is 7-2-1 on the season with a 1.20 goals against average, and .824 save percentage. Harding is 3-3 on the season with a 1.71 goals against average, and .633 save percentage. Alvernia fell to the Dutchmen 3-2 in double overtime in its first MAC Commonwealth game of the year.

For complete MAC Commonwealth Championship information visit the 2018 Championship Central.