Nov. 7, 2007

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CANYON, Texas - For the first time since 2001, the West Texas A&M men's soccer team has advanced to the post-season, earning the right to host the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at The Pitch. The four-team regional tournament will begin on Nov. 8, featuring a Noon match-up between second-seeded Midwestern State, who shared the SSC title with the Buffs, against third-seeded Metro State, followed by No. 1 WTAMU against fourth-seeded and RMAC champion Ft. Lewis at 2:30 p.m.

This season marks the third year in the program's 17-year history that the Buffaloes have won a conference title under head coach Butch Lauffer, who collected his benchmark 200th win earlier in the season when WTAMU beat Missouri Southern, 4-0, on Oct. 19. Lauffer now holds a record of 204-92-22 at West Texas A&M and has helped the Buffaloes advance to the NCAA Tournament three times, including back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in 2000 and 2001.

WTAMU split matches against Midwestern State this year, improving their all-time record against the Mustangs to 13-15. MSU won the first meeting, 3-1, but in the second match-up, the Buffs benefited from a late first half goal as they went on to win, 1-0, in the regular season finale to claim a share of the Southwest Soccer Conference title. Freshman goalkeeper Shane Taylor, recently named second team All-SSC for his efforts in front of the net, made six saves against the Mustangs to improve his season save total to 53, placing his name eighth in WT history in career saves.

Including Taylor, West Texas A&M had a total of 10 players honored by the conference as four Buffs were recognized on the first team, five were honored on the second team and one was named honorable mention. Middlesbrough, England, native Ben Everson was honored as the SSC Freshman of the Year in addition to earning first team accolades. He led the Buffs with 14 goals this season - including four multiple-goal matches - and also added three assists. His goal tally puts him in a tie for sixth on the single-season goal list and eighth in points in a season in WT history.

Senior captain Kenneth Christensen was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year after earning SSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year acclaim prior to the start of the 2007 season. The Hedensted, Denmark, native was a defensive force throughout the season as he helped the Buffs hold opponents to a low 15 goals against (0.81 average) and allow only three opponents to score more than once against WT. Additionally, his defensive play helped Taylor notch a program record nine shutouts this season.

Other defenders honored by the conference were senior Tomer Otor, who earned second team status, and junior Austin Ridling, who was recognized as honorable mention All-SSC. Otor's confident play and awareness on the field has made him a vital asset to the defense while he also possesses the ability to attack offensively and create plays, particularly with his service into the box. Ridling has been a solid contributor both on and off the field, as his attitude and effort level have helped him step up as a leader for the Buffs. Additionally, he has been outstanding in the air, challenging for every loose ball.

A number of WTAMU midfielders have been productive on both the defensive and offensive ends of the field as junior Tommy Nutter and sophomores Jacob Fynboe Jensen and Aaron Thornton all were recognized by the conference for their success. Jensen notched a team-high eight assists - including three off corner kicks in the last two games of the regular season - and added seven goals for the second-highest point tally on the team with 22. Nutter, primarily a play maker in the midfield, dished out five assists and added one goal; both he and Jensen missed four games due to injury but still were offensive powers for WT.

Thornton, a Pearl, Miss., native, had a break-out season as he scored six goals and tallied three assists in his second year in Canyon.

In the front for WT, senior René Gómez and junior Itamar Keinan have also made impact contributions as they combined for 11 goals and eight assists en route to a 16-2 regular season finish; Gómez recorded six goals and four assists while Keinan had five goals and four assists.

Other key contributors for the Buffs this season have been senior Robert Franco, juniors Oliver Mulamba, Espanho Da Costa and Brad Sanderson and sophomores Freddy Montes, Brad Williamson and Adi Dzebic.

WTAMU played then-No. 24 Ft. Lewis earlier in the season and collected a 2-1 overtime win over the Skyhawks at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. Midwestern State also beat their regional match-up earlier in their season, picking up a 2-0 victory over Metro State on Sept. 2.

The winners of each first round match will meet in the regional final on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m, with the winning team advancing to the NCAA-II Quarterfinals, which will be played on Nov. 17 or Nov. 18.