STATESBORO, GA – Hartwick's men's soccer team played the role of spectator for the Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer opening round games between New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Appalachian State Thursday night in Statesboro, GA. The Hawks' number one seeding earned them a first-round bye and the advantage of rest heading into Friday's semifinal.
             
"We've had plenty time to get the journey out of us," said Hartwick head coach John Scott. "On the eve of the semifinal we feel relaxed, but also focused on the task at hand."
           
Hartwick is making its second straight postseason trip after securing a spot in the Mid-American Conference semifinals last season.
             
"When you reach playoff time it's the same goal for everyone - extend your season for as long as possible as nothing beats playing and training together every day."
           
Scott credited the entire roster for contributing to the Hawks' success in 2014. He did, however, praise the efforts of seniors Chris Walter (Amherst, NY/Nichols School), Mateo Munarriz (Bogota, Colombia/Colegio Granadio), junior Jack Miller (Commack, NY/Commack), and junior captain Tom Buckner (Oxfordshire, England/Henley College).
           
"Our leadership group of Chris, Mateo, Jack, and Tom, individually and collectively, have been great to work with," added Scott. "They've all been instrumental in getting our team to this point in the
season."
           
The Hawks' opponent Friday, Appalachian State, won by a 1-0 margin over NJIT Thursday night. The Hawks and Mountaineers played to a draw on Elmore Field on October 3.
           
"Our first encounter was very competitive with neither of us giving much away and the game ended 0-0," Scott said. "However, that game was six weeks ago and while we'll both take things from that game I doubt we'll be preparing exactly the same the second time around. Stanley Broaden is their top goal scorer, but they have many other good players we'll need to prepare for. Defensively we'll need to be solid, and in attack we'll be looking to play with confidence."
           
The Hawks and Mountaineers kickoff Friday at 3 p.m. at Georgia Southern's Eagle Field. Georgia State and Georgia Southern clash later on at 6:30 p.m. The final takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed at the following link: http://sunbeltsports.org/watch/?Live=62.
             
"The goal is obviously to play in Sunday's championship match, but there's very little separating the other teams aiming for the same thing."