VANCOUVER, BC – After playing hero in New Mexico's Elite Eight fixture, Ben McKendry is the last Vancouver Whitecaps FC youth development product remaining in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament play.
The seventh-seeded New Mexico Lobos were victorious in their second all-time berth in the prestigious Elite Eight, where they shut out the second-seeded University of Washington Huskies by a score of 1-0.
McKendry scored the lone goal for the Lobos in the 37th minute when Oniel Fisher found the former ‘Caps Residency standout for a point-blank tally, which lifted the Lobos to the Final Four for the second time in school history.
New Mexico will now clash with the third-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday, December 13 in Philadelphia, PA. The Lobos should be brimming with confidence, as they are the only team in the Final Four that hasn't conceded a goal in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The NCAA final will be held on December 15.
Click here to view the complete NCAA Division I bracket.
Over in the NCAA Division II bracket, the Simon Fraser University Clan fell 3-2 to the Carson-Newman Eagles on December 5 in a Final Four match that was delayed 45 minutes due to light failure.
SFU’s season once again ended in the same round and on the same pitch it ended on in 2012, as the Clan led 1-0 at the half but three second half goals from Carson-Newman proved more than SFU could handle.
Despite the loss, head coach Alan Koch’s side enjoyed a successful year in which they captured their second consecutive conference NCAA West Region Championship and fourth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference crown.
Former Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency player Alex Rowley was also named to the 2013 NSCAA/Continental Tire All-West Region team. Rowley made 20 starts in 22 appearances in 2013, registering two goals and seven assists while earning a spot on the first-team of conference all-stars.
Click here to view the complete NCAA Division II bracket.
