Mastodons Face Denver in Summit League Semifinals

DENVER – The IPFW men's soccer team takes on the Denver Pioneers in the Summit League Tournament semifinals on Thursday, November 13 at 5 p.m. at CIBER Field in Denver.

Who: Denver (9-7-1, 3-2-1 Summit League)
When: Thursday November 13 | 5 p.m.
Where: CIBER Field (2,000) | Denver, Colo.
All-Time Series: Denver leads 2-0-0
Last Meeting: October 18, 2014 | IPFW 0, Denver 2 | Denver, Colo.
Live Stats: Denver Live Stats
Video Stream: Pioneer Vision

GAME INFO

The University of Denver hosts the 2014 Summit League men's soccer tournament from November 13-15. All matches will be played at CIBER Field on the university campus.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Altitude Sports 2 will broadcast tournament semifinals, while ESPN3 will broadcast the championship match. Live stats will be available for the entire tournament on DenverPioneers.com.

ABOUT IPFW
The Mastodons enter the tournament with a 6-8-4 overall record. The 'Dons earned the No. 4 tournament seed after finishing the regular season with a 3-3-0 record in league play. The 'Dons are coming off a 1-0 win over Omaha on November 1. Corey Tom leads IPFW with 12 points (5 g, 2 a), while Jacob Murphy leads the team in total assists (3).

ABOUT DENVER
The Pioneers are 9-7-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the Summit League. Denver shares the regular season league title with Oral Roberts, Western Illinois, and Omaha, but earned the top seed in the Summit League tournament by after winning the tiebreaker. The Pioneers are led offensively by Eric Kronenberg's 13 points off six goals and an assist.

TALE OF THE TAPE
This marks the third meeting between IPFW and Denver. The Pioneers hold a 2-0-0 lead over the Mastodons, including a 2-0 win earlier this season on October 18. Cody Schweitzer earned seven saves during the match, holding Denver scoreless through the first 45 minutes.

LAST TIME OUT
The Blue and White wrapped up the regular season edging Omaha 1-0 at home on November 1. The win kept the Mastodons' hopes for postseason play alive, following a goal from Scott Williams in the 49th minute. Corey Tom was credited with an assist on the play, as the 'Dons finished the regular season perfect in home league matches.

MASTODONS IN THE POSTSEASON
IPFW has reached the Summit League tournament twice, with the most recent being the No. 4 seed in 2012. The Mastodons also earned the No. 2 seed in 2011. IPFW has yet to record a win in the Summit League tournament.

ELITE EIGHT
While a member of Division II men's soccer, the 'Dons reached the "Elite Eight" in 1999, following a 14-match unbeaten streak, including both matches in the Great Lakes Valley conference tournament. IPFW finished the season 17-4-2 after falling to Charleston on November 15.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Mastodons finished the regular season with a perfect 3-0 record home in league matches, and a 4-2-2 record overall at home. The only two home losses came against Cincinnati (Sept. 17) and Bowling Green (Oct. 1).

WEEKLY SPECIAL
The Mastodons have combined for six Summit League Player of the Week awards, with Corey Tom and Raphael Kotzock earning two each, for offense and defense, respectively. Austin West (Offense) and Cody Schweitzer (Defense) have also been named players of the week this season.

TIP YOUR HAT
On September 27, during the league opening match against IUPUI, Austin West earned the first hat trick in the Summit League regular season since IPFW's Max Touloute accomplished the feat against Milwaukee on August 26, 2011. Additionally, West's hat trick was the first in a regular season league match since Kansas City's John Bayron Sosa earned three goals against the Mastodons on October 23, 2010.

THREES COMPANY
Corey Tom has converted three penalty kicks, leading directly to two 1-0 wins over Oral Roberts (Oct. 11) and Valparaiso (Oct. 29). Additionally, Tom has scored a total of three game-winning goals, with two of them coming off a penalty kick.

SOLID IN NET
Both Raphael Kotzock and Cody Schweitzer have been solid in net, each starting nine matches. Kotzock has earned four shutouts and a 0.93 goals against average. Kotzock has made 40 saves for a 0.816 save percentage. Schweitzer has accumulated 46 saves, for a 0.742 save percentage. Schweitzer has a 1.73 goals against average and two shutouts on the year. Additionally, both Kotzock and Schweitzer split a shutout when IPFW opened the season with a 6-0 blanking of Saint Joseph's (Ind.).

UP NEXT
With a win, IPFW will advance to its first-ever Summit League final and face the winner of Oral Roberts and Western Illinois. The winner of the Summit League tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is Monday, November 17 at 1 p.m., ET. The NCAA Tournament begins November 20, and will conclude with the Men's College Cup in Cary, North Carolina from December 12-14.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Mastodons Face Denver in Summit League Semifinals

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Players Mentioned

Raphael Kotzock

Jacob Murphy

Cody Schweitzer

Corey Tom

Austin West

Scott Williams

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics