Nov. 20, 2007

Olathe, Kan. - The Championship final of the 2007 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship is set as No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) takes on No.  6 Concordia (Calif.) on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Both teams are gunning for their first national championship in the sport. The Championship, hosted by MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) and the Olathe Chamber of Commerce, is played at the College Boulevard Activity Center (CBAC).

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW (Tuesday, Nov. 20):
• Game #19: No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) vs. No. 6 Concordia (Calif.), 7:00 p.m. CST
Two teams very familiar with each other will battle it out for NAIA soccer's most coveted prize on Tuesday. Both teams are members of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and Region II. Azusa won the prior meeting this year, 4-0 which was the finale of Azusa's 14-match season-opening winning streak. APU has had the upper hand in the series recently with a current three-game winning streak against Concordia. The last loss for Azusa came on Oct. 24, 2005 in the 1-0 setback.

Azusa holds a 19-1-1 season mark and the distinction of the No. 1 team in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the final two weeks of the regular season. Azusa, who holds a 9-3-3 Championship record, is attempting to become the first No. 1 seed to win the national title since Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) did so in 2001. The Cougars have now appeared in the last three title games as the No. 5 seed (in 2005) and the No. 8 seed (in 2006). Senior Steven Lenhart is the team-leader in goals (16) and points (35) heading into the final. He has picked up at least one point in each of the three Championship contests including the game-winning goal against No. 10 Auburn-Montgomery on Monday.

Concordia comes in with a 19-3-0 record having defeated defending national champion Graceland (Iowa) 4-2 in the Championship second round. The Eagles are in unchartered territory with this Championship finals appearance as they were 0-2 in Championship play (2002 & 2006) heading into 2007. The Eagles, who have won six of their last seven games this year, started the season on a 13-match winning streak. That streak was snapped by a 4-0 loss to Azusa back on Oct. 17. Sophomore Jon Fahey tossed in the Championship's only hat-trick in the win over Graceland. He stands with a Championship-best nine points in three games.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL NOTES:
• This is the first match-up between regional teams in a Championship final since 2003 when the field was expanded to 20 teams.
• The Tournament goals and points leader is Concordia's (Calif.) Jon Fahey who has four goals and nine points.
• Azusa Pacific (Calif.) has won six of its last seven games in Championship play.
• Appearing it its first Championship title game is Concordia (Calif.) - this is the Eagles' third Championship appearance and was 0-2 before 2007.
• The 2007 Championship did include any overtimes through the Quarterfinal round. That was the first such occurrence since 1998 when there were no overtime matches.
• No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific looks to become the first top seed to win the title since Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) in 2001.
• Concordia is unbeaten (18-0) when scoring first this season and its 2-1 win in overtime against Auburn-Montgomery on Monday improves its OT record to 3-0.

SERIES HISTORY (Since 1987)*
Since 1987, Azusa holds a 18-4-2 advantage over Concordia. This will be the first meeting in
Championship play.
Following is a list of the last 10 meetings:
• Oct. 17, 2007: Azusa 4, Concordia 0
• Oct. 23, 2006: Azusa 1, Concordia 0
• Nov. 12, 2005: Azusa 3, Concordia 1
• Oct. 24, 2005: Concordia 1, Azusa 0
• Sept. 30, 2004: Azusa 2, Concordia 1 (OT)
• Oct. 2, 2003: Concordia 1, Azusa 0
• Oct. 24, 2002: Concordia 2, Azusa 2
• 2001: Azusa 1, Concordia 0
• 2000: Azusa 4, Concordia 1
• 1999: Azusa 4, Concordia 0
*From available records on school websites

SEMIFINAL RECAP:
Game #17 - No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 1, No. 5 Simon Fraser (B.C.) 0 FINAL
OLATHE, Kan. - No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) scored the lone goal of the game in the 69th minute to defeat No. 5 Simon Fraser (B.C.) in the first semifinal game of the 2007 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Tournament.

After a scoreless first half, senior forward Steven Lenhart put Azusa Pacific on the scoreboard 24 minutes into the second half.  Lenhart took a pass from senior midfielder Kolt Callaway and found the back of the net from just outside the box.

Simon Fraser put pressure on the Cougars with eight straight shots including a shot by the Clan's junior goalie Thomas Lindley on a corner kick that went wide in the final seconds.  APU defenders stepped up to seal the win as they blocked five shots and junior goalie James Crawford stopped one shot.

Crawford finished the game with two saves in the victory while Lindley made two saves in the loss for the Clan.

Game #18 - No. 6 Concordia (Calif.) 2, No. 10 Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) 1 FINAL (2 OT)
OLATHE, Kan. - In the first overtime game of the tournament, No. 6 Concordia (Calif.) defeated No. 10 Auburn-Montgomery, 2-1, in double overtime.  The Eagles advance to their first ever championship game.

Auburn-Montgomery started the game on fire and took 16 shots in the first half.  The Senators could not capitalize on the momentum as Concordia defenders blocked five shots and senior goalie Mike Borst stopped all three shots on goal.

Auburn-Montgomery continued to put pressure on the Eagles to start the second half until a second yellow card was issued in the 61st minute to sophomore defender Kari Arsaelsson forcing the Senators to play a man down for the remainder of the game.

Concordia took advantage and got on the scoreboard when senior midfielder Josh Bickel found the net from 30 yards out with an unassisted goal at 72:58.  Auburn-Montgomery answered right away and tied the score at one when freshman Sveinbjorn Jonasson scored his eighth goal of the season in the 75th minute.  Jonasson's classmate Steinthor Thosteinsson picked up the assist.

The Eagles sophomore midfielder Jon Carlson had one last shot at the end of the regulation but the ball was punched out by the Senators goalie as the time expired.

In the first overtime, Auburn-Montgomery had a chance to end the game in the 94th minute but a team-save by Concordia forced second overtime.  The Eagles junior forward Jeff Clark ended the game in the 103rd minute with a header off a corner kick.

Borst finished the game with four saves in the victory while Cudic stopped five shots in the loss for the Senators.

2007 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS
First Round - Wednesday, Nov. 14
Game #1 - #13 Maine-Fort Kent 2, #20-Northwestern (Iowa) 1 FINAL
Game #2 - #19-Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 2 vs. #14-Madonna (Mich.) 1 FINAL
Game #3 - #18-Mid-Continent (Ky.) 2 vs. #15-Judson (Ill.) 1 FINAL
Game #4 - #17-MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 2 vs. #16-Covenant (Ga.) 0 FINAL

Second Round - Thursday, Nov. 15
Game #5 - #4-Ohio Dominican 7, #13 Maine-Fort Kent 0 FINAL
Game #6 - #19 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 2, #3-Mobile (Ala.) 0 FINAL
Game #7 - #2-Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 5, #18 Mid-Continent (Ky.) 1 FINAL
Game #8 - #1-Azusa Pacific (Calif) 3, No. 17 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 1 FINAL

Second Round - Friday, Nov. 16
Game #9 - #5-Simon Fraser (B.C.) 1, #12 Park (Mo.) 0 FINAL
Game #10 - #6-Concordia (Calif) 4, #11 Graceland (Iowa) 2 FINAL
Game #11 - #10-Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) 3, #7-Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 2 FINAL
Game #12 - #8-Fresno Pacific (Calif) 5, #9-Rio Grande (Ohio) 2 FINAL

Quarterfinal Round - Saturday, Nov. 17
Game #13 - #5 Simon Fraser (B.C.) 2, #4 Ohio Dominican 0 FINAL
Game #14 - #6 Concordia (Calif.) 2, #19 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 0 FINAL
Game #15 - #10 Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) 2, #2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 1 FINAL
Game #16 - #1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 3, #8 Fresno Pacific (Calif.) 1 FINAL

Semifinal Round - Monday, Nov. 19
Game #17 - #1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 1, #5 Simon Fraser (B.C.) 0 FINAL
Game #18 - #6 Concordia (Calif.) 2, #10 Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.) 1 FINAL (2 OT)

Championship Final - Tuesday, Nov. 20
Game #19 - #1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) vs. #6 Concordia (Calif.), 7:00 p.m. CST