NDNU men’s soccer has line on PacWest title, NCAA’s

NDNU men's soccer has line on PacWest title, NCAA's

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Six games over two days will decide the Pacific West Conference men's soccer championship and likely the fate of Notre Dame de Namur as the Argos make a bid for a berth in the NCAA Division II National Championships.

It would be a coup for the Argos who returned to full Division II status this year.

Although the PacWest does not have a men's soccer post-season tournament, the league schedules in such a way that a playoff atmosphere along the lines of the Division II Sports Festival simmers to a boil during the final week of the season. All of the Mainland teams are in Hawai‘i to wrap up the regular season.

And the water in the Pacific is roiling.

On Monday, six of the seven men's soccer teams were thrown together like Yahtzee dice in a cup. What rolled out was NDNU in first place by a point over Hawai‘i Pacific and two points over Grand Canyon. The Argos, ranked fourth in the most recent West Region Poll, cannot fall any lower in the region if post-season aspirations are to come true.

Winning out is the only way to control their destiny. Their schedule is favorable, but not automatic.

NDNU's victory over Hawai‘i Hilo Monday eliminated the Vulcans from a shot at the title, while the Argos now can clinch the PacWest Championship outright by beating fifth place BYU-Hawaii (5-10-2/3-5-2 PacWest) on Wednesday and knocking off Chaminade (1-17-1/0-11 PacWest) on Friday.

If NDNU stumbles, Grand Canyon and HPU have tough contests against BYU-Hawaii and Dixie State, respectively, on Wednesday before taking on each other on Friday.

The Yahtzee dice will be thrown again on Wednesday.