SU Faces VCU in NCAA Second Round

Syracuse (13-6-0) at #19 VCU (12-3-5)
Game Details	Sunday, Nov. 18 \| Richmond, Va. \| 7 p.m. Championship Program \| Championship Bracket Tickets \| Sports Backers Stadium \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: None \| Radio: None VCUAthletics.com: Live Stats \| Live Video Twitter: @Cuse
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes
VCU Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Following the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, the SU men's soccer team (13-6) travels to 14th-seed VCU (12-3-5) to face the Rams in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Championship Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. To purchase tickets, visit VCUAthletics.com.

Fans can watch the game live here.

ABOUT THE SELECTIONS
Syracuse is making its second NCAA appearance. The Orange received one of the tournament's 26 at-large berths. SU's only previous NCAA invitation came in 1984 when it lost in the first round to Hartwick, 3-1.

VCU earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and is appearing in the championship for the first time since 2004.

SU TOPS CORNELL IN FIRST ROUND
The Orange posted its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory on Nov. 15 with a 1-0 decision over Ivy League champion Cornell at Berman Field. Senior Lars Muller scored the game's only goal in the 10th minute, and the Orange defense posted its 12th shutout of the year.

AGAINST THE NCAA FIELD
The Orange has faced 20 of the other 47 teams that were selected for this year's NCAA Championship and owns an 86-138-25 (.396) aggregate record against those foes.

MULLER SCORES KEY GOALS
Senior Lars Muller has six goals this season, four of which have been match-winners. He's scored the golden goal this season against Colgate, Rutgers, Villanova, Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For the season, Muller is second on the team with 15 points (six goals, three assists).

SCOUTING VCU
At 12-3-5, the Rams had an impressive season in the Atlantic 10 Conference. VCU advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship match before losing to #25 Saint Louis. Coach Dave Giffard's squad has accumulated quality wins against #12 Xavier, and two victories versus #18 Charlotte.

The Rams feature a potent offensive attack, which ranks ninth in the nation in scoring (2.24 goals per game), 12th in total goals (38), and 15th in points (109). Jason Johnson leads the team with 32 points, which ranks eighth nationally. Mario Herrera Meraz ranks 20th in the NCAA, and leads the squad, with eight assists.

Defensively, Andrew Wells has started 17 games in goal for the Rams, recording 10 wins with a goals-against average of 0.98.

VCU SERIES
The Rams hold a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series, winning the only previous match between the two sides. VCU's Mathew Delicate scored the match's only goal to propel the Rams to a 1-0 victory at the Nike/Alltel Classic in Richmond in 2002.

UP NEXT…
The winner of Sunday's match advances to the third round on Sunday, Nov. 25 and will face the winner of the Georgetown-Charlotte game.

Syracuse University Athletics

Next Event

Related Videos