Box Score

It came down to one game.
 
SCAD led The Sun Conference by just a few points over Thomas University and the last match of the regular season pitted the two strong teams against each other.
 
Thomas University came into the game ranked No. 3 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). SCAD entered the field ranked No. 23. If SCAD won, they would be conference champions. If the Thomas Night Hawks won, they would have a share of the victory and would become the No. 1 seed heading into the Sun Conference Tournament that begins in a week.
 
At the end of the match, it was the SCAD Bees who prevailed by a score of 1-0. The shutout would be the eighth of its kind for the season.
 
The first period saw SCAD consistently in control of the ball. They spent much of the time on the Thomas side of the pitch for most of the period. It was a good sign of things to come.
 
Outshooting the Thomas nine to three, the Bees scored nine minutes into the game. Naim El-Harriti kicked a beautiful crossing pass to teammate Will Oswin who, in turn, saw Taylor Katsanis and sent the ball his way. Katsanis did the rest, getting the ball into the net with precision. The game-winning goal likely holds a special place for Katsanis because this was his final conference game as a SCAD Bee. The senior was honored for his time on the team, along with five other seniors playing his last regular season game (Josh Brown, Ali Bassir, Sergi Sauras, Lloyd Shillabeer and John McAleenan). This was the very first goal of the year for Katsanis.
 
The second half of play saw tenacious defense from by both teams, but SCAD already had a score so the pressure was on Thomas. The SCAD defense only allowed four shots in the final period. It was truly a team victory for the Bees. 
 
SCAD finished the regular season at 10-2-3. After losing their first two games of the season, the Bees never lost another and tied three. Of their 10 victories, eight were shutouts, each held by SCAD goalkeeper Fernando Zeledon.
 
The Sun Conference Tournament for the men begins next Saturday, Nov. 8. Because they claimed the conference crown, SCAD will play host to the tournament. Pairings and times will be decided when all the remaining regular season games have been played. Go Bees! And congratulations on this monumental achievement!