Men's Soccer 11/3/2021 9:14:00 AM By Marisa Lombardo (Director of Sports Information)

#3 Alvernia Set For 2021 MAC Commonwealth Championship

Reading, Pa. (Nov. 3, 2021) - Alvernia University men's soccer enters this week's MAC Commonwealth Men's Soccer Championship as the #3 seed in the field of four remaining teams.

The Golden Wolves head to #2 Lebanon Valley this afternoon for a 3:00 PM matchup with the Dutchmen. The winner will take on the winner of #1 Messiah vs. #4 Stevenson in the championship game on Saturday.

This will be Alvernia's eighth appearance in the MAC Commonwealth tournament since Alvernia joined the MAC Commonwealth in 2009. Alvernia's last appearance was in 2018 as the #5 seed. The Golden Wolves were eliminated in the 5v4 play-in game in a 3-2 loss to #4 Stevenson.

Alvernia finished the regular season 14-4 overall and 6-2 in MAC Commonwealth play. Alvernia's offense is led by Braden Kreider who finished the regular season with six goals and four assists. Ryan Kuster also finished with six goals and had three assists on the regular season. Ryan Cogill finished the season with five goals, including three game-winning goals. In total, nine Alvernia players have scored at least one goal so far this season. Alvernia's defense has also shutout opponents 11 times so far this season. 10 of those shutouts have been credited to goalie Ben Solsky. Solsky has a .90 goals against average with a .797 save percentage.

When Alvernia and Lebanon Valley met in the regular season, Lebanon Valley edged out a 1-0 victory over Alvernia. Lebanon Valley's only goal came off a successful penalty kick by Peter Foerster. Alvernia out-shout Lebanon Valley 23-17, including 13-4 on shots on goal.

Scouting the rest of the field:

#4 Stevenson (@ #1 Messiah)
Stevenson defeated #5 York on Monday in a 3-0 decision in the MAC Commonwealth 5v4 game. Stevenson finished the regular season 8-9-2 and 4-4 in MAC Commonwealth play. Sean McDonald leads Stevenson with five goals scored and one assist. Illias Zouita is second on the team in points with three goals and four assists. Kristian Slaby is the primary keeper in net for the Mustangs. Slaby has a 1.66 goals against average with a .656 save percentage.

#2 Lebanon Valley (vs. #3 Alvernia)
Lebanon Valley finished the regular season 13-4 overall and 6-2 in MAC Commonwealth play. Lucas Strange leads Lebanon Valley and is second in the MAC Commonwealth with 12 goals this season. Zach Reed is second in points with four goals and five assists. Sean Quirk has started 15 games for the Dutchmen and finished the regular season with a 1.50 goals against average and .805 save percentage.

#1 Messiah (vs. #4 Stevenson)
Messiah finished the regular season 14-1-2 overall and 8-0 in MAC Commonwealth competition. Up until the final game of the regular season, Messiah was undefeated on the year. But, Penn State Harrisburg handed the Falcons their first loss of the regular season in a 1-0 decision. Messiah has been a consistent name on the USCA national rankings, ranking #8 in the nation most recently. Trevor Goodling leads the Falcons with seven goals and three assists, while Stefan Leitzel finished the regular season with eight goals. Jared Pavlovich is the primary starter in net for Messiah, sitting with a .43 goals against average and a .833 save percentage on the season.

For complete MAC Commonwealth Championship information, visit the 2021 Championship Central Page.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#10 Braden Kreider: M; 5' 9"; Senior

#13 Ryan Kuster: D; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#0 Ben Solsky: GK; 5' 11"; Junior

#27 Ryan Cogill: F; 6' 4"; First Year

Players Mentioned

#10 Braden Kreider
: 5' 9"; Senior
: M

#13 Ryan Kuster
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: D

#0 Ben Solsky
: 5' 11"; Junior
: GK

#27 Ryan Cogill
: 6' 4"; First Year
: F