FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BATES MEN'S SOCCER EARNS FOURTH SEED IN ECAC TOURNAMENT

LEWISTON, Maine -- After finishing the regular season with a 9-4-1 record, the Bates College men's soccer team has earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament. The Bobcats will play host to New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rivals Tufts University in the first round on Nov. 10 at 1:30 p.m. on Lafayette Street Field.

This is the second straight ECAC bid for Bates and their third in the last four years. The Bobcats are on a five-game winning streak, their longest since a five-game streak in 1986. The Bobcats have not allowed a goal in that span, covering 450 minutes, a school record. Bates has posted 10 shutouts overall this season, also a school mark. Goalkeepers Dan Spector of Framingham, Mass., and Emlen Harmon of South Berwick, Maine, have allowed only 11 goals, the fewest in a season at Bates since 1964.

"This is a great opportunity for the team to continue the outstanding season they have had," said head coach George Purgavie. "Tufts and Bates always play competitive games, and this should be no exception."

Offensively, the Bobcats are led by senior forward and tri-captain Andy Apstein of Waban, Mass., who leads the team with 22 points on seven goals and eight assists, tied for the best single season in Bates history. He is second on Bates' all-time lists for goals (25), assists (18) and points (68). Joining Apstein up front is first-year forward Brian Luoma of Virginia Beach, Va., who leads the team with nine goals, one short of Bates' single season rookie record. The Bobcats' veteran defense is led by senior tri captains Ted Martin of Excelsior, Minn., and Justin Wang of N. Andover, Mass.

Tufts enters their sixth consecutive postseason with a 9-4-1 record. After starting the season 7-1-1, the Jumbos have lost three of their last five contests, but they defeated top-seeded Middlebury, 2-1, on Nov. 6. Senior forward Matt Adler of Princeton, N.J., leads the Jumbos in scoring with 21 points and is Tufts' all-time leading scorer with 43 goals and 103 points. Junior Steve McDermid of Shorewood, Minn., has started all 14 games in goal for Tufts, boasting a 1.07 goals-against average and five shutouts.

The Bobcats and Jumbos have met once already this season, playing to a scoreless tie back on Oct. 2. The teams also met twice last season, with Bates taking a 1-0 regular decision and Tufts winning 3-1 in the semifinals of last season's ECAC tournament, with Adler picking up a goal and an assist.

In other first-round matchups, No. 1 Middlebury faces No. 8 Gordon College; No. 2 Amherst plays host to No. 7 Wheaton; and No. 3 Trinity (Conn.) takes on No. 6 Plymouth State.