Men's Soccer Battles to Scoreless Draw at CUAA

(Ann Arbor, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar men's soccer team needed only a point to clinch the team's first ever berth in the WHAC tournament, and they were able to accomplish that goal after battling to a 0-0 draw at Concordia Ann-Arbor Friday afternoon.

The game started with some early drama favoring the Cougars, as Concordia was called for a red card foul in the 5th minute, giving the Cougars a man advantage for the remaining 84+ minutes of play.  That foul did not change the balance of play, however, as Cleary only outshot the Cardinals 7-3 in the first half, and earned no corner kicks in the first half to Concordia's three.  

The second half was still a balanced game, with Concordia outshooting the Cougars 7-4 in the second half, but neither team was able to get their big break, and the game would end 0-0.

Austin Freemire made 3 saves while earning his fifth shutout of the season.  Cleary outshot Concordia 11-10 in the game, with a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal.  Both teams committed 13 fouls, and Concordia held a 6-4 advantage on corner kicks.

The draw gives Cleary 17 points in WHAC play with a 5-4-2 record, 8-7-2 overall.  That point total with one conference game to play has clinched Cleary's first WHAC tournament berth in school history.  Though Rochester Christian and UM-Dearborn have at least one game remaining, they cannot earn enough points to surpass the Cougars in the standings.  The game, combined with the final results from Cornerstone, Lawrence Tech, Aquinas, Lourdes, and UNOH will determine the final standings and seedings for the WHAC tournament.  Cleary could earn anywhere from a 3-seed to an 8-seed based on the final results.  
Cleary's final regular season game of the season will be on Wednesday, October 30, when they host the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers at Lake Trust Stadium for Senior Day.  The game is set to begin at 3:00 PM.