INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -– In the midst of a seven-game unbeaten streak, Stony Brook University will face Brown University in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Thursday on 7 p.m. in Providence, R.I. America East teams have advanced a round in the NCAA tournament in eight of last nine years.
Stony Brook (6-9-4) defeated UMBC 2-0 to win its second America East men's soccer tile in five years on Sunday The Seawolves' unbeaten string is the longest such stretch since the then Patriots went 7-0-1 to start the 1980 season.
Goalkeeper Anthony Rogic, the Most Outstanding Player of the America East Championship, has five shutouts in the streak and became just the third goalkeeper to hold opponents scoreless in the conference tournament.
Head coach Cesar Markovic, who's making his third trip to the NCAA tournament, led Stony Brook to a 2-1 overtime win in the opening round against Yale in 2005. The last time an America East team faced Brown in the NCAA's, the Bears knocked off University of Vermont, 2-0.
NCAA Quick Kicks
• Stony Brook, which captured its second America East title and subsequent NCAA berth in five years, will face Brown in its NCAA first-round matchup. In 2005, the Seawolves downed Yale 2-1 in overtime before falling to UConn, 2-0, in the second round.
• America East teams have advanced a round in the NCAA College Cup in seven of the past eight years, including a 1-0 win by Boston University over Fairleigh Dickinson in last year’s tournament.
• After starting its season 1-9-2, Stony Brook is now unbeaten in its last seven contests (5-0-2) with five shutouts.
• Freshman goalkeeper Anthony Rogic earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the America East Championship after holding opponents scoreless in two games becoming the third AE goalkeeper ever to do so. The All-Rookie choice made eight saves and allowed scores on just two of six penalty kicks in the tournament.
• Rogic was joined on the All-Championship squad by defenders Damion Brown, Colin Geoghegan and Greg Tinari. That group has keyed Stony Brook’s recent success by holding opponents to just two goals during the current unbeaten streak. The Seawolves had given up 26 scores over its first 12 games.