STATESBORO, GA – Jamie O’Grady’s (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk) goal in the 65^th minute held up as Hartwick’s men’s soccer team won the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championship defeating host Georgia Southern 1-0 at Eagle Field in Statesboro, GA.
           The victory earns the program its first conference title since the Hawks won the 2005 Atlantic Soccer Conference title. With the win, the team earns the Sun Belt’s automatic berth into the 2014 Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament. The tournament field will be unveiled on Monday. The Hawks will be making their 24^th NCAA Tournament appearance.
            “What a turnaround for us the last six weeks,” said Sun Belt Coach of the Year John Scott. “It’s phenomenal. Regular season champs and now playoff champions. We knew we’d be up against it today as Southern had the home field and the home crowd. We needed 11 competitors today and we got it. We needed a team that got forward. We got that too. Southern made us work for it but we stuck to the task and everyone that played put themselves out there for the team.”  
            Hartwick defender Kit Tregear (Brighton, England/BHASVIC) was named the Sun Belt Tournament Most Valuable Player. He keyed a Hawk defense that blanked two conference opponents on the weekend. Chris Walter (Amherst, NY/Nichols School), Jhevaughn Beckford (Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer’s Boys’ School), and David Styles (Bognor Regis, England/St. Phillip Howard) each received All-Tournament honors.
             The deciding goal came off a corner kick from Styles. The ball made its way through traffic in the box to the far post. O’Grady got to the ball first and knocked it into to an open goal. It marked O’Grady’s first goal of the season.
            With 25 minutes still left to play, the Hawks kept moving the ball forward. With just over 20 minutes remaining, Jack Miller (Commack, NY/Commack) played a ball on the ground to Walter 22 yards from goal. Walter one-timed a low shot on target but Eagle goalkeeper Jack Falle would make the save.
            Three minutes later, on the right side, Dean Fowler (Sydney, Australia/Colo) delivered a central pass to Styles who sent a left-footer on frame, but right at Falle.
             Less than two minutes after that, Georgia Southern had one of its most dangerous chances of the game following a free kick from 35 yards away. The ball was sent into the box and it bounced just out of reach of a pair of Eagle players and up and over the Hartwick crossbar.
            The Hawks had another chance to add to their total with seven and a half minutes to play when forward Mike Rood (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley) took a fortunate deflection and broke in alone with Falle. His initial shot was saved but the ball popped right back to Rood giving him another opportunity. He sent his shot toward an open goal but it was headed out by an Eagle defender.
            Georgia Southern pressed for the tying goal in the waning minutes, serving several dangerous balls into the box but the Hawks weathered the storm to secure the victory.
            Hartwick finished the match with an 11-10 edge in shots. The Hawks earned eight corners in the match to the Eagles’ four. Buckner stopped three shots in the game to earn his third straight clean sheet. He has not allowed a goal in his last 252:40 of action.
            Scoring chances were limited in the opening half with both teams finishing with three shots. The Eagles had a few opportunities, all within an eight-minute span. Emmanuel Raji sent a shot high and wide from the left side with 23 and a half minutes left before halftime. Blake Wilson had a long-range shot which Buckner handled six minutes later and Miller smothered a Wilson chance with a timely tackle in the box with just under 16 minutes left. Miller came through again in the second half as he tracked Eric Dinka on a breakaway and his sliding tackle halted his chance at a shot.    
            The win avenges a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Georgia Southern on Eagle Field on October 12. ’Wick finishes with a 5-1-1 record against its Sun Belt opposition this season.T
            The Hawks, who began their season winless through the month of September, finished the season with a 6-3-1 record with five shutouts in their last 10 matches in October and November.
            “I need to give thanks to Assistant Coach Beau Brinsko and our trainer Alexis Caponi for excellent assistance,” Scott added, “and most importantly the lads on the team who have gotten us into the NCAA Tournament. It’s been a whirlwind.”
            ’Wick learns its tournament opponent tomorrow during the NCAA Selection Show which will be streamed live on the NCAA website.

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