Men’s Soccer Looks to End Strong at USCAA National Tournament

The Southern Maine Community College men's soccer team is about to kick off in game 1 of the USCAA National Tournament.  By capturing the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) tournament, the men earned an automatic bid into the national tournament hosted by Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. The Seawolves enter the tournament as the #6 seed and face #3 seed Florida College at 2:00pm at the John B. Lewis Complex on Warren Wilson College's campus.

The Seawolves went 13-0-1 in conference play this season and haven't seen a loss since game two on September 7^th.  They beat Paul Smiths College for the YSCC Championship where junior Keith McClure (Buxton, ME) earned Offensive Player of the Tournament honors for his game-winning penalty kick in the YSCC championship match. Freshman goalkeeper Corey Grigas (Hardwick, MA) was selected as Player of the Tournament for his dominance in the goal.  "We fought really hard the entire game and left everything on the field," stated McClure. "Scoring the winning PK was the best feeling I've experienced all season."

The Seawolves also boasted several all-conference honors.  Head Coach Brian Dougher was selected as Coach of the Year for the second straight season.  Senior Nick Link (South Portland, ME) earned all-conference honors for leading a defense that only allowed 10 goals in 14 conference games. Junior forward Blais Whitney (Cornish, ME) was selected as the YSCC Player of the Year after tallying 13 goals and 4 assists during the regular season.

Even with all the individual accolades, the focus the entire season has always been on the team.  Early in the season, the team was moved by watching the movie Remember the Titans. "How strong are we? Too Strong!", a popular quote from the movie, was heard loud and clear from the Seawolves huddle before every game.  The team cohesion that developed over the course of the season was evident and acknowledged by the players.  "In the three years that I've been with the program, this is the most chemistry we've ever had on the field," stated Blais Whitney. "We had a lot of team dinners and events outside of practices and games. There was never a dull moment - every practice, every game - we had fun."  Keith McClure agreed, "We have a lot of heart on this team. We are all striving toward a common goal and we'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that."

The Seawolves will continue to strive for their goal of winning a national championship today against Florida College.  Follow the team through the tournament bracket at: http://www.theuscaa.com/2011_USCAA_Soccer_National_Championships/Men-s_Championship_Website.pdf.

Go Seawolves!