NORTH MANCHESTER – A 1-0 victory at Earlham College on Saturday afternoon propelled the Manchester University men's soccer team to its third consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

The Spartans will now travel to Hanover College on Wednesday for the HCAC Semifinals.  Kickoff against the Panthers is set for 2 p.m.

All HCAC Tournament games will be hosted at the higher seed this week. Admission is cash only to this week's games.  

2019 HCAC Tournament Bracket

Semis - Wednesday

No. 4 Manchester Spartans (9-9-1, 6-3 HCAC) at No. 1 Hanover Panthers (11-5-1, 8-1 HCAC) 2 p.m. - Hanover

No. 3 Transylvania Pioneers (10-7, 7-2 HCAC) at No. 2 Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers (15-3, 8-1 HCAC). 7 p.m. - Terre Haute.

Championship - Saturday

Hosted by  highest seed remaining, time TBD

Manchester News & Notes

• The Spartans came up with a pair of crucial wins last week to secure a third straight bid to the HCAC Tournament.  The Spartans shutout both Bluffton (2-0) and Earlham College (1-0).

• MU will look to advance to its first HCAC title game since 2007.

• The Spartans have been knocked out in the HCAC Semis in each of the last two seasons, falling to Hanover and Transylvania by 1-0 final scores.

• Manchester is the lone HCAC school to have beaten the Panthers this season.  MU opened conference play with a 1-0 shutout victory over Hanover at Good Field on October 5.

Hanover News & Notes

• The Panthers have rattled off eight straight wins since the Spartans defeated them on October 5.

• The Panthers have appeared in three of the last four HCAC Tournament Championship games.

• Hanover has outscored HCAC opponents 22-6 this fall.  On the year, HC has outscored its opposition 34-19.

• The Panthers have rotated three goalkeepers this season, with Will Bedel leading the team with six wins and two shutouts.

Season Stat Leaders

Stat        Manchester            Hanover

Goals        8 - J. Gonzalez        9 - Eppler

Assists        4 - Two Players        9 - Hughes

Points        16 - J. Gonzalez          21 - Hughes

Shots         40 - J. Gonzalez          62 - Hughes

Shots on Goal        25 - J. Gonzalez           28 - Hughes

Saves        45 - Winterboer             18 - Stocksdale

Save %        .692 - Winterboer          .867 - Bedel

Men’s Basketball About To Get Underway

NORTH MANCHESTER – The 2019-20 Manchester University men's basketball season is just about to get underway.

First-year head coach Nate Conley and the Manchester Spartans have been hard at work since their first official practice on Oct. 15. Conley was named the 22nd head coach in the storied history of the Manchester men's basketball program just before practices began in early October.

Manchester University will kick off the 2019-20 campaign with an exhibition contest at NCAA Division I Purdue-Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.

The Spartans' first regular season game will be on Nov. 12 at home against Oberlin College.  MU will then host Kalamazoo on Nov. 15 and Adrian on Nov. 16.

Manchester will participate in the Webster Classic in St. Louis, Mo.  Nov. 22-23.  Other non-conference opponents for the Spartans include Capital (Dec. 16) and Ohio Northern (Dec.21).

Manchester University will open Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play against Rose-Hulman at 7:30 p.m.Dec. 4 in Stauffer-Wolfe Arena.

In total, the Spartans will play 13 games at home and 12 games on the road this season.

Junior forward CJ Hampton was named a "Player to Watch" by the HCAC this season.  Hampton started 21 games as a sophomore and averaged 9.6 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game.  Hampton shot 78.1 percent (57-73) from the foul line last year.



Lady Spartans Open Friday

NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester University women's basketball team will begin the 2019-20 season on Friday at home against the Adrian College Bulldogs.

Manchester's schedule features 13 home contests and 12 road games this season.

The Spartans will host the Main View Tip-Off Tournament on Nov.15 -16. This year's tournament features MacMurray, Westminster (Pa.), Kalamazoo and MU.

The Spartans will have other non-conference matchups with Kalamazoo (Nov. 22), Beloit (Nov. 30) and Ohio Northern (Dec. 29).

Manchester University will open HCAC play on the road against Hanover College at 5 p.m. Dec. 7.

Senior wing Nicole Weaver was named a "Player to Watch" by the HCAC.  Weaver averaged 8.6 points per game last season for the Black and Gold.

 Two-time HCAC Coach of the Year Josh Dzurick will be in his 15th season at the helm of the women's basketball program.  Dzurick has guided the Spartans to three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and three HCAC Tournament titles. MU also won a pair of HCAC Regular Season titles under Dzurick's leadership.