Quarterfinals - Saturday, October 27 #1 Williams def. #8 Connecticut College, 2-1 #2 Amherst def. #7 Middlebury, 4-0 #3 Wesleyan def. #6 Trinity, 2-1 #4 Tufts def. #5 Bowdoin, 3-0 Semifinals - Saturday, November 3 hosted by Williams #1 Williams tied #4 Tufts, 0-0 (2OT) Williams advances on Penalty Kicks, 4-2 #2 Amherst def. #3 Wesleyan, 1-0 Championship - Sunday, November 4 hosted by Williams #2 Amherst def. #1 Williams, 2-0

Championship Program  | Championship History  | Video

HADLEY, Mass. – Top seeded Williams will continue its quest for a seventh conference crown this weekend when it hosts the 2012 NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship at Cole Field. Action will get underway with a pair of semifinals on Saturday. Williams will kick things off against fourth seeded Tufts at 11:00 a.m. before second seeded Amherst and third seeded Wesleyan square off at 1:30 p.m. Advancing teams will meet for the NESCAC championship on Sunday at noon. At stake will be an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Video will be available for all three games.

In what turned out to be a regular season for the ages, longtime rivals Williams and Amherst finished in a dead heat with matching 8-0-2 records. The teams both tied Wesleyan and played to a scoreless draw in their meeting on September 6. After exhausting all other tiebreaking procedures used by the conference, a coin flip was needed to determine final seeding.

Williams (13-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC) survived a scare in its quarterfinal round contest against eighth seeded Connecticut College on Saturday. After falling behind 1-0 in the early going, the Ephs used goals from junior forward User Kushaina and senior midfielder Patrick Ebobisse to extend their unbeaten streak to 15 games.

First year forward Mohammed Rashid has made an immediate impact for Williams, recording 13 points on four goals and five assists. Kushaina has scored five times. Meanwhile, Ebobisse has dished out four assists. The Ephs have surrendered just seven goals over their first 15 games thanks to the outstanding play of senior goalkeeper Than Finan, who leads the NESCAC with a .921 save percentage.

Though the Ephs have come out on top six times since tournament play began in 2000, they have not advanced to the finals since winning in 2009.

While Williams struggled in its opener, Tufts (9-3-3, 5-2-3 NESCAC) made a statement with a 3-0 triumph over fifth seeded Bowdoin. Junior midfielder Scott Blumenthal (Simsbury, Conn.) found the back of the net twice in the contest to run his season total to five. Since falling 1-0 to Williams on October 13, the Jumbos have strung together three straight wins over league foes. They will be making their first appearance in the semifinals since 2001.

Sophomore forward Maxime Hoppenot has set the tone for Tufts with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Classmate Gus Santos has also been effective on the offensive end, scoring five times. The Jumbos will be looking to advance to the finals for the first time. They fell 1-0 to he Ephs in last year’s quarterfinals.

Second seeded Amherst (13-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC) began its title defense with a convincing 4-0 victory over seventh seeded Middlebury on Saturday. Four different players scored goals for the Lord Jeffs, who ran their unbeaten streak to 15 games. Their last loss came to Stevens in the sectional semifinals of last year’s NCAA Tournament (11/19/11).

Amherst is in the midst of one of the most impressive seasons in conference history. The Lord Jeffs will enter the weekend as the league leaders in both goals (47) and goals against (2). Their high-powered offensive attack has been paced by senior Spencer Noon (Farmington, Conn.), who is a lead candidate to repeat as NESCAC Player of the Year. The forward currently sits atop the conference leaderboard with 26 points and 11 goals. On the defensive end, first year goalkeeper Thomas Bull (Montgomery, N.J.) has needed to make only 23 saves en route to a goals against average of 0.14.

The Lord Jeffs are the first team in conference history to be denied the top seed after an undefeated regular season. Williams went undefeated in league play in 2000, 2003 and 2005. Meanwhile, Wesleyan posted a 6-0-3 mark in 2009.

Amherst will need to get past a talented Wesleyan (9-3-3, 6-2-2 NESCAC) squad to have a chance at its third NESCAC title. The Cardinals punched their ticket to the final four for the sixth time in program history with a 2-1 triumph over sixth seeded Trinity on Saturday. Senior forward Walter Rodriguez (North Plainfield, N.J.) found the back of the net for what proved to be the winner with just under five minutes remaining in regulation. Classmate Rory O’Neill (Silver Spring, Md.) also scored his fifth goal in the contest.

Wesleyan will enter the weekend with high aspirations after going toe-to-toe with both Williams and Amherst during the regular season. Much of the team’s success will be dependent on the play of senior goalkeeper Adam Purdy (Montclair, N.J.), who has tacked on seven shutouts to his impressive career marks this season. The Cardinals earned their lone NESCAC title in 2005 with a 3-2 victory over the Lord Jeffs.

Results for the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship will be available at the completion of each day on the NESCAC website.