Lincoln Memorial advances to Men’s Soccer Elite Eight

Hickory, N.C. - The No. 16 Lincoln Memorial University Men's Soccer Team (14-1-3) advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight by virtue of 5-3 advantage on penalty kicks over No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne College (19-1-1) Saturday afternoon in front of close to 1,000 fans at Bears Field.

The contest officially ended in a 1-1 tie after two overtimes and, by NCAA rules, the match went to penalty kicks to decide who would move on.

The Bears and Railsplitters were playing for the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Appalachian Regional Championship.

Lincoln Memorial got on the board first in the 32nd minute when Leonardo de Barros (Brasilia, Brazil) scored on a free kick at the top of the box.

Lenoir-Rhyne quickly tied the match less than four minutes later, at the 35:52 mark, after John-Paul Hanger (Norman, Okla.) headed the ball into the net off a corner kick from Gary Higgins (Paisley, Scotland).

The match remained tied at one the rest of the way as both goalkeepers, Lenoir-Rhyne's Mark Jorgensen (Ringwood, Australia) and Lincoln Memorial's Brent Cole (Knoxville, Tenn.), each made several critical saves down the stretch to keep their respective teams in the contest.

Jorgensen finished with five stops while Cole made three saves.

"I am proud of this team," said Lenoir-Rhyne Head Coach Adrian Blewitt. "This squad has raised the bar high in just two seasons and this setback really gives us something to shoot for next year."

"The South Atlantic Conference is a good one" said Lincoln Memorial Head Coach Helio D'Anna. "There are no easy matches and the regular season has prepared us for these types of contests. I give Adrian (Blewitt) a lot of credit. He had his team ready for the match."

While the match officially goes into the NCAA record books as a 1-1 tie, Lincoln Memorial will advance to the Elite Eight as the representative from the Appalachian Region to play the winner of the SIU-Edwardsville vs. Northern Kentucky match. "This program has excelled over the past several seasons and is very deserving of this win," said Lincoln Memorial University President, Dr. Nancy Moody. "The University, its students, faculty and staff are extremely proud of what Coach D'Anna and his team have accomplished and with them the best of luck next week."

Lenoir-Rhyne finished its best season in school history and ended the year on an 11-0-1 run.

The 2006 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Appalachian All-Region Team is as follows:

Carson-Newman's Omar Cooke (Vinton, Va.), Catawba's Nathan Zuzga (Troy, Mich.), Lenoir-Rhyne's Wheeler, Higgins, Ged Quinn (Jarrow, England) and Shawn Brunk (Merritt Island, Fla.) and Lincoln Memorial's Jordan Green (Pensacola, Fla.), Felipe Nogueira (Uberaba, Brazil), Claudio Rico (Jacarei, Brazil), Nelson Pizarro (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and de Barros, who was named tournament MVP.

Soccer Game Summary (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook For Soccer
Lincoln Memorial vs Lenoir-Rhyne (Nov 04, 2006 at Hickory, N.C.)

Lincoln Memorial (14-1-3) vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (19-1-1)
Date: Nov 04, 2006 Attendance: 965
Weather: 55, clear, beautiful but cool

Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Lincoln Memorial.... 1 0 0 0 - 1
Lenoir-Rhyne........ 1 0 0 0 - 1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 31:57 LMUM Leonardo de Barros (6) (unassisted) - free kick from the top of the box
2. 35:52 LRC John-Paul Hanger (2) (Gary Higgins) - header off corner kick

Shots: Lincoln Memorial 11, Lenoir-Rhyne 10
Saves: Lincoln Memorial 4 (Brent Cole 3; TEAM 1), Lenoir-Rhyne 5 (Mark
Jorgensen 5)
2006 NCAA Divison II Applachian Regional Final Match
No. 3 Lincoln Memorial at No. 1 Lenoir-Rhyne
Lincoln Memorial advances to the Elite Eight on
penalty kicks, 5-3 ... Match officially ends in 1-1 tie